The Veiled Asari
by AmityN7
Summary: C-Sec Detective Marion Corvus is struggling to find a purpose in life after losing her wife and child. But when a mysterious asari who hides her face behind bandages employs Corvus to protect her the detective's life begins to spiral out of control. Now being pursued by a determined Justicar across the galaxy, Corvus quickly finds herself in over her head.
1. Meet Marion Corvus

Chapter 1

**The Planet Nevos- 2170 **

She watched in silence as the Justicar stalked her. Weapon drawn and biotics flaring, the ancient asari warrior moved like the deadly predator that she was.

"I know you are here Felina. Shall we end this once and for all?" The Justicar called out into the darkness. Her voice was soft but commanding. This was the closest she'd been in twenty years. Felina knew she couldn't keep this up, not by herself. "The code demands I bring you down. One way or the other this will end. Why not make it today?"

Felina held her breath in as the Justicar moved past her hiding spot. The shipping crates were stacked high and even a Justicar would have trouble finding her in here. But she couldn't live in this old warehouse forever. She needed to leave Nevos. Slowly Felina began to move towards the exit. As she moved closer and closer to the exit the sound of rain pounding on the pavement outside grew. Then a shot rang out from behind her, striking the shipping crate beside her.

Felina raised her hands over her head and turned to face her pursuer. In all the years she been pursued by the woman she had never seen her face so clearly. The Justicar was beautiful and she had kindness in her eyes as she raised her gun at Felina. "I take no pleasure in this Felina. But the code decides my actions here, not me. I must admit, your will to survive is admirable. As is your strength."

"The code decides your actions? Are you sure about that? What did she tell you about me?"

"She told me enough." She aimed her weapon. "Find peace in the embrace of the Goddess."

"I'm sorry Raila." Felina said. Her voice slightly muffled by the damp bandages covering her face. Felina throw the strongest biotic pulse she could at the Justicar. Raila dodged the attack easily but Felina followed by sending the highly stacked shipping crates crashing down around them with another biotic pulse. As the falling crates disrupted Raila's line of sight on her, Felina launched into an all out sprint to the docking bays.

She slipped on the wet ground outside but scrambled back to her feet as she continued running to her destination. Her heart beat ringing in her ears. Behind her she heard Raila shouting her name and a few shots being fired that thankfully missed. Her legs were burning with pain as she made her way to the docking bay. The passenger ship was filling up and the turian guard at the boarding gate moved to stop her when he saw her barreling towards the entrance to the vessel. She knocked him down with a bitoic strike that sent the turian on his back. "I'm sorry!" She said as she passed the dazed turian and made her way inside the ship.

Raila was too slow. The doors were sealed by the time she had caught up and it had begun take off. Her leg stung from where it was struck by a falling crate. The girl was fast and smart the justicar had to admit. But this defeat did not weigh heavily on her. She was getting closer every day and her victory was inevitable. She limped over to the guard and extended her hand to the fallen turian and pulled him to his feet. "That ship. Where is it heading?"

"The Citadel. Do you want me to call it back?"

"Don't bother." The justicar was in no shape to pursue her target further today. But soon this decades long chase would reach it's end.

* * *

**The Citadel**

"Why did you join C-Sec?"

"Why did I join? I don't know. After Shanxi it just seemed like the next step. I was done with the Alliance and Sarah wanted to try and settle down in one place. Find somewhere secure to raise Daniel." She blew smoke out through her nose as she took another drag from her cigarette. "Look how well that turned out."

"You must not blame yourself, Marion."

"Bullshit. Nobodies fault but mine. And don't call me Marion. We're not friends. I don't have time for friends." Marion said.

"And what about your down time? Are you keeping busy?" The shrink asked.

"If by busy you mean drunk then yeah I'm keeping really busy."

The doctor sighed. "Detective Corvus, I really think you should try and engage in more positive activities. It's been over a year. You should try to move on."

Corvus chuckled. "Move on? To what?"

"Make some friends, go on a date. Find something to live for."

"I already did." Corvus hung her head and killed her cigarette in the ash tray.

The doctor got to his feet. "Well that's the last of your mandated sessions. But it pains me to say that I don't think you've made much progress detective."

"No shit."

"I implore you to consider continuing our sessions. I will be submitting your psyche report to C-Sec tonight. In the meantime try and work on that positive outlook."

Corvus rolled her eyes. "Yeah I'll try that doc." she said sarcastically. "See ya around."

* * *

The detective made her way into the C-Sec offices to meet her partner. A fresh smoke hung from her soft lips. She stepped into Valerk's office and glared at the turian.

"You're back." He said.

"Yeah. So get off your ass we have a crime scene." Corvus said.

Valerk chuckled. "Clearly the therapy has done wonders for you."

"Shut up turian and get your stuff."

The turian sighed as he got to his feet. "I was hoping perhaps we could start fresh."

"Keep dreaming. Now am I going alone?"

"No." Valerk holstered his gun and locked up his office as he left with his human partner. She was always like this for as long as he had known her. He had been partnered with her right out of the academy which he had found strange at the time. Detective Corvus was one of the first humans to join Citadel Security. He had assumed that she would be one of the most respected officers for having served so long. But nobody wished to work with the detective. Despite the woman not exactly treating him with charity he felt bad for her.

"Your driving." Corvus said as she twirled her cigarette between her index finger and thumb.

Valerk eyed the cigarette. "Marion, you're not supposed to smoke in here. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

"How many times do I have to tell you I don't give a shit? And it's Detective Corvus."

* * *

**Zakera Ward **

"Spirits."

"Not exactly a pretty picture." Corvus said as she looked upon the crime scene.

The asari's head was resting on the ground in a pool of purple blood. The rest of the body was nowhere to be seen.

"Who do you think she was?" Valerk asked.

"A nobody. This reeks of a gang kill. The head was placed here on display. Probably as a warning to a rival gang or maybe C-Sec." Corvus sighed in disappointment. "Gang kills are so boring."

"Boring? You have a morbid sense of entertainment detective."

Marion shrugged. "Been out of the game for 5 weeks. I was hoping for something with a little meat to it. Maybe a nice juicy political hit on the presidium. Not this child's play." She bent down next to the severed head. Out of the corners of the asari's cold lips she saw a small shred of paper peeking out. She pried it from the head's stiff jaw. Part of the message was obstructed by dried purple blood but it was still clear enough to be read. "Fist."

"Huh?"

"This is warning to that nigh club owner, Fist. You know the one that runs Chora's Den?"

"Yeah I know him."

"Like I said. Boring gang hit. Must have been a dancer." Corvus stood back up.

"Shame. She was pretty."

"If you say so. All these blues look the same to me." She walked over to one of the junior officers guarding the crime scene. "Get a clean up crew down here." She said and the young human nodded and brought up his omni-tool.

"You don't wanna look around anymore?"

"Why? This is cut and dry." Corvus put her face in her hands and ran her thumb along the L shaped scar on her left cheek.

"Well shouldn't we try and solve this? We are homicide detectives."

"Forget it, it's Zakera ward. I can't even think of one gang being successfully taken down by C-Sec in the wards. This won't be different. So i'm not wasting my time."

"Well how about I buy you dinner then? You know to welcome you back."

Corvus pulled her head from her hands and shot a confused look at her partner. She didn't like turians. Hell, she didn't like pretty much anyone. Especially non-humans. And she'd seen enough of her partner's kind on Shanxi to justify that hatred. But she was hungry. And Valerk wasn't as bad as the rest of them. "Fine."

"Really?"

"Yeah let's go."

* * *

Back at the offices many officers sat behind their desks on their terminals. Corvus twisted her face. She hated desk work but it was a part of the job. She made the old trek to her office and groaned when she saw Harkin leaning against the wall outside her office.

"Hey sweetheart. Heard you were back on duty. Had to see it to believe it myself. " Harkin said.

"Go away Harkin. The answer was no the first 50 times, it will be a no the next 50." Corvus spat.

Harkin chuckled. "Hey now I wasn't suggesting anything. But now that you mention it..."

"Finishing that sentence would be a very big mistake."

"Loosen up Corvus. I'm here cause the Executor wants to see you."

"Pallin?"

"Yep. He seemed pissed. But maybe he just needs some alone time with you. Wouldn't surprise me, you two are perfect for each other. You're both stuck up assholes." Harkin said.

"Screw you Harkin."

A wicked smile spread across the man's face. "Your place or mine?" he laughed at his own joke. "I gotta say detective. After that meltdown of yours. I'm surprised they're keeping you around."

Shame hit Corvus hard at the mention of the incident. She diverted her gaze to the ground. "Where's the Executor?"

"In his office. Have fun."

* * *

Corvus calmed her nerves before she stepped into the Executor's office. "You wanted to see me Executor Pallin?"

"Yes. Please take a seat Detective Corvus." Pallin said without taking his eyes off a datapad. The detective did as asked and took a seat across from her boss. "This is your Physiological evaluation." He said as he gestured to the datapad in his hand. "Doctor Reed sent it over just now. He says you're not fit for duty."

Corvus shot out of her seat. "What?! that's bullshit!"

"Calm down!" Pallin shouted. "The council says we need to have humans on the force. They don't say we need unstable ones. But in light of...what you went through last year. I deemed it necessary for you to plead your case."

"Sir, I'm fit for duty."

"Saying it doesn't make it true detective." Pallin tossed the datapad aside and leaned back in his chair. "Listen Corvus, despite my misgivings about humanity you're not a bad detective. Not my best mind you. So this is nothing personal, but given what happened to your family and the incident six weeks ago and now this psyche report. I'm afraid you're not demonstrating to me that you are able to continue working at a satisfactory level after what happened."

"Please sir... I don't have anything else." Corvus pleaded.

"I think that's part of the problem. Here's what I propose, take some more time off. Continue to see Doctor Reed. And in two months time we can try again."

"Two months! What the hell am I gonna do for two months?!"

"That isn't my problem detective. My job is ensuring that C-Sec is operating at peak performance at all times. And it can't do that if I have officers who are not mentally sound enough to protect the citizens of this station. I'm suspending you for two months. Take that time to work out your issues. This will be your last chance."

Corvus wanted to scream. She wanted to leap over the desk and strangle the turian. She wanted Sarah. Instead she hung her head in defeat. "Understood sir."

Pallin leaned forward. "I'm sorry."

She made her way back down to her office ignoring every fellow officer that passed her by on her way there. Marion entered her office and slumped down in her chair. She dipped her chin down and let her dark brown hair fall down in front of her face. Corvus looked up to the small desk lamp Sarah had given her as a gift when she joined C-Sec. She reached a hand out and ran her fingers through the dust that had collected on it. Marion sighed and packed it up along with the small amount of other belongings she had and made her way back out into the offices.

Harkin had returned to his position outside her office now sporting a smug grin. "Well well. Looks like maybe they're not keeping you around after all. Well good luck out there detective. You know you could always stay with me if times get tough. I'm sure Sarah wouldn't mind." The mentioning of her name was enough to make Corvus snap. She dropped the box containing her belongings and lunged at Harkin. The detective wrapped her hands around his throat and kicked down at his leg bending it outwards and breaking it. "Get off me you crazy bitch!" Harkin managed to rasp out.

Suddenly Corvus was pulled away from the man. She fought desperately to free herself as she howled and kicked at Harkin as the man laid crumpled on the ground cradling his broken leg. She turned to see Valerk holding her back with concern in his eyes. "Corvus, calm down! Please!" her partner shouted.

The fight left her and the turian let her free. Marion bent over to her fallen belongings and found Sarah's lamp had been rendered broken from the fall. tears came to her eyes as she franticly scrambled to pick up the pieces. She placed the shattered remains of the lamp back in the box and ran as fast as she could out of the office and away from the eyes of her frightened co-workers.

* * *

**The Goldsmith Jazz Club- Zakera Ward **

Marion Corvus sat in a darkened corner table. The cherry of her cigarette the only form of dim illumination escaping her table as she cradled a glass of whiskey. Silently she watched the band play. She used to come here with Sarah. She used to enjoy the music they played, the slow pianos and saxophones. Now all it was was another reminder of what she'd lost. The detective didn't know why she came here every night. Or why nobody had ever come to talk with her in her corner table. Part of her was thankful for that fact, but deep down it hurt.

Corvus took a long drag from her cigarette and followed it with a sip of whiskey. She wanted to stop coming back here. To stop seeing Daniel's face in every child she passed and hearing Sarah's voice everywhere she went. She thought she knew what pain was back on Shanxi, what a fool she had been. She finished her glass and rose to leave. Outside of the club she watched the skycars soar by. Corvus called a cab through the transit console and traveled to her apartment.

She removed her leather jacket as she stepped in the door and began unbuttoning her shirt. Marion began pouring herself another glass of whiskey as she made her way to Daniel's bedroom. She didn't dare step inside past the doorframe. She just observed the child's abandoned room. Dust had begun to cover everything inside but she couldn't bring herself to disturb anything from where he left it.

Marion finished getting undressed and didn't bother with a shower before she flopped on to her bed. She stayed on the left side of the queen sized bed just like every night. Just when she closed her eyes to fall asleep she was awoken by the sound of someone buzzing her apartment. She decided to ignore it but then another buzz sounded, longer this time. She groaned and got out of bed. The detective pulled her pants up her legs and threw her leather jacket on over her bare torso before opening her door.

Before her stood a frightened looking asari. Her face hid behind bandages that wrapped around the blue woman's head and made identifying her impossible. "D-Detective Marion Corvus?" The veiled asari said shakily.

"What do you need?" Corvus asked.

"I need your help." Felina answered.

* * *

**Notes-** Okay, so begins my very first OC Mass Effect story. This will be a long running series that will be running alongside "Shepard and Liara Versus the High School Reunion". Don't worry, I'm still finishing "Miranda and Jack's First Christmas" I just wanted to have the first chapter of this out before the final chapter of Miri and Jack's Holiday story is finished. Thank you so much for reading! Please feel free to review. And don't worry, this story is very much connected with the rest of my universe and with a very big story coming in the future starring Shepard and Liara.


	2. Felina and the Detective

Chapter 2

The detective was not what Felina expected. From what she had read about the woman she expected someone much less beautiful. Corvus' dark brown hair went down to her shoulders and her body was also quite striking to the maiden. The asari guessed the woman was about six feet tall. But the human's face carried much sadness. On her left cheek a large L shaped scar was carved into her soft face and a second scar ran through her right eyebrow bisecting it as it traveled down to her neck. One last scar spread across the bridge of her nose diminishing her otherwise soft features. Marion's blue eyes seemed to pierce straight through Felina as she stared at her from within the doorframe.

"My help? Listen Blue, I don't have time for this bullshit. So why don't you go away." Corvus said.

"Please detective. I'm willing to pay you a lot of credits. Given your current standing with C-Sec I imagine the money would be welcome reward." Felina said in a meek voice. The rough tone of the human's voice intimidated the asari even more than her appearance.

Marion stepped out of the doorframe and moved in closer to the asari making Felina take three steps back. "Who the hell are you? And why do you know so much about me?"

"M-my n-name is Felina." the asari managed to stutter out.

"Alright Felina, you got ten seconds to explain how you know who I am, and why I shouldn't kick your blue ass for keeping me awake."

"I read about you."

Corvus cocked her head to the side. "Read about me?"

"Y-yes. On the extranet. Your...incident with that turian suspect six weeks ago. I figured you would be looking for employment. And I desperately need someone like you."

"Someone like me? And what exactly does that mean?" Corvus crossed her arms.

"You seem like you know how to keep someone safe ."

A flash of sadness invaded the human's eyes. "Well you're wrong. Go find someone else to bother." Corvus turned to go back inside but Felina grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Get your hands off me!"

"Please. I don't have anywhere else to go. I'm begging you for your help."

Corvus stood in silence, her blue eyes staring into Felina's. The human sighed. "You have credits?"

"Yes, quite a lot."

Marion gestured inside the apartment. "Come in." Corvus ran her eyes up and down the asari as she stepped inside her home. Marion's eyes were glued to the asari's face however; or what little she could see of her face. "What's wrong with you?"

Felina spun around. "Hm?"

"Your face. Why is bandaged up like that?"

"Oh! Well i'm afraid it's better than the alternative."

"What happened to you?" The detective asked.

"Quite a lot has happened to me. But i'm not hiring you to discuss my past. I'm hiring you to protect me."

Marion shrugged and unzipped her leather jacket to reach into the inner pocket and pull out her pack of smokes. She noticed the asari's eyes lock on to her partially exposed breasts. "Not interested blue."

"What?" Felina asked.

"I said i'm not interested so i'd appreciate it if you don't eye my tits."

Felina dipped her head in shame. "I apologize."

Marion lit the cigarette and gestured to the small table in her kitchen. "Take a seat. I guess you can start with why you need my protection."

Felina did as asked and sat in the uncomfortable steel chair in the woman's tiny kitchen. "Well...I've been pursued by a woman for the better part of 50 years. She intends to kill me. Recently she has gotten alarmingly close to her goal and I've come to the realization that i'm going to need help if I wish to survive."

Corvus narrowed her eyes as she took a drag from her smoke. "Who are you? Why would someone be trying to kill you for half a century?"

"I have very powerful parents."

"So why don't they protect you?"

Felina sighed. "I'm afraid that is not an option."

Marion groaned. "Explain." She said plainly.

"The woman who pursues me. She was sent by an asari Matriarch. Matriarch Aquila. She's my mother."

Corvus shook her head. "What? Why would your mother want to kill you?"

"It is a very long story detective. One I do not wish to recount at the moment."

Marion took a long drag from her smoke and carefully inspected the asari "So what is it you want me to do for you?"

"I'd like you to protect and escort me off this station while keeping my identity a secret from everyone you can. If my name pops up anywhere the Justicar will be on us before we could ever escape this station."

"What the hell is a Justicar?"

"She's like a... i'm not sure how I could describe her to you. She's a bit like a C-Sec officer but she operates under a very strict code. And she thinks because of that code I must die."

"If this Justicar is like a cop that means you're a criminal."

"I am not!" Felina said.

"So you're an innocent girl that has no idea why she's been pursued for 50 years. That makes perfect sense." Marion said as she blew smoke out her nose.

"The Justicar has her reasons. I don't wish her harm. She's a good woman. But she'll stop at nothing, and follow me anywhere." The bandaged asari said. "Well...almost anywhere."

Corvus' bisected eyebrow rose. "Almost anywhere?"

"A few years ago a girl in a similar situation as me told me of a place where this Justicar couldn't follow. A place where her code would not allow her to follow. And where I could live free from all this."

"And what is this place? And why are you not there now?"

"I don't know it's name. Only the navigational code for locating it. I memorized it long ago. I would have traveled there myself but it is far outside of asari space. And well traveling can be difficult for me. It's my hope that you can escort me to that location. And then we can part ways."

"I'm not seeing my motivation for helping you here. Goodnight asari, now get out my house."

"Your motivation is one million credits!" Felina shouted standing up from her seat and trying her best to put on an intimidating voice.

Corvus laughed. "A million credits! Ha! A little girl like you doesn't have that kinda money."

"When I left my mother I took a sizable chunk of her wealth with me. It has helped me immeasurably these past 50 years."

"Yeah well I've changed my mind I don't really give a shit about your credits. Or you. I think you're lying to me. None of this adds up. You survive for 50 years on your own and now you come to me of all people to protect you?"

"I've been trying for 50 years to get away on my own. I can't do it anymore. I came to you because I had a feeling you would want to get away just as bad as me. And because I think that turian deserved what you did to him."

"You think I want to get off the Citadel?"

Felina took a look around the detective's apartment. "Am I wrong?"

Marion chewed on her lower lip. "This place you want me to take you to. You can have a fresh start there?"

"Yes. So can you detective."

Corvus took another drag and sighed heavily. "Screw it. There's nothing left for me on this station. Hasn't been for a long time now. I'd rather die protecting some alien than by swallowing a bullet."

"You'll do it?"

Corvus nodded and mashed out her smoke on the overflowing ash tray. "I'll do it."

* * *

Valerk sat behind his desk staring at the same screen on his terminal that he had been for the past hour. The turian sighed. Worrying about Marion was stupid really. He knew the human wouldn't waste a second worrying about him but he had an attachment to the woman he didn't entirely understand. And ever since he overheard that the human was being terminated from the force he had been worried how Corvus would take the news. She hadn't exactly been stable since what happened to her family. But who the hell would be?

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw an asari make her way into the bullpen. She carried herself with remarkable grace and wore an impressive set of black armor. He cringed when he saw her approach Harkin's cubicle. The human had been milking his broken leg to agonizingly obnoxious levels. And by the looks of this asari she was someone of importance and definitely not someone he wanted talking to Harkin. He got of his chair and made his way towards them.

"I am looking for an asari."

"Yeah? Look in a mirror sweetheart. Does it look like I have time to deal with a missing person? Do me a favor and leave me alone." Harkin spat at the asari.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. So take that sweet blue ass of yours somewhere else."

A shallow biotic field manifested around the asari just as Valerk made his way between them. "I'm sorry mam. Please disregard anything this officer has said to you. I'd be happy to help you with any problem you might be having."

The field dissipated. "Is this the kind of treatment I can expect from the famous Citadel security force?"

"No. I'm sorry. Please follow me to my desk and we can work this out properly."The blue woman nodded and followed Valerk to his own cubicle. "Why don't you start with who you are."

"I am Raila. A servent of the Justicar code."

"Spirits. What brings a Justicar down here?"

"I pursue a fugative. She is perhaps the most dangerous person aboard this station."

"Do you know her name?"

"Felina. Felina T'Soni."

Notes- I'm Back! Sorry i've been gone for so long but finally my writing is back on track. So what did you think of that reveal? Benezia's involvement in Felina's life is really just one piece of the puzzle so I hope you'll stick with me through the twist and turns (And writing hiccups. Sorry but I've never done a story like this.) oh and in case you're wondering no this is not in any way an AU story. It exists in the same universe as my Jane Shepard and Miranda and Jack stories. Speaking of which "First Christmas" will be finished soon and "Shepard and Liara Versus the High School Reunion" will be up soon too! Thanks for reading. Please tell me what you thought in the reviews.


	3. The First Contact War

Chapter 3

**Shanxi- 2157 **

Marion Corvus drew in a pained breath as she gasped for air. She didn't know where the attack came from. Or how many of those turian things there are but she shakes herself in an attempt to regain her bearings. Bullets whiz by her as she ducks behind cover. The rest of her squad, or what's left of her squad is by her side returning fire at every momentary break in the turian's attack.

A blast hits her hard from the side and propels her back to the ground with a fierce smash. Bits of shrapnel tear into her face and already she can feel hot blood come streaming out of the fresh wounds. Franticly she begins rubbing her blood from her eyes as she crawls back into cover. That's when she realizes she was the only soldier in her squad to survive that blast.

"Son of a bitch." She grunts. She peeks her head out and sees the aliens move past her position. Maybe they figured she perished alongside her fellow soldiers. But then Corvus sees what drew the turians away. A colonist had somehow found her way in the middle of this hell and had been stupid enough to alert the enemy to her position. She can't hear what the woman is saying to the aliens as they slowly approach her with guns drawn but Marion can see tears streaming down the civilian's face.

Corvus winces when they fire a single shot through the woman's stomach. The shooter throws his head back and laughs followed by his men. But their laughter ceases when the colonist rolls over in pain on the ground, desperately trying to crawl away and save herself.

For a brief moment Marion considers using this distraction to her advantage and retreating to safety. But she can't do it. She counts five turians and readies her Lancer. If she's gonna die at least it was going to be a noble death, but the thought does little to comfort her as she pops out of cover.

The shooter gets her first bullet as she unleashes a storm of gunfire upon the alien squad. Perhaps it was her position or perhaps it was catching her enemy off-guard but the turians are down to two by the time they ready their weapons to return fire. She doesn't get back cover fast enough to avoid one of their shots tearing through her shoulder.

She grits her teeth and stifles a scream as she waits for her Lancer to cool down. The remaining turians are screaming something back and forth to each other she doesn't understand. Finally her rifle is ready and she spins out of cover. She's lucky enough to catch one out in the open and her bullets rip him to ribbons before she can shift her attention to her final target.

Corvus pauses when she realizes the turian has surrendered, throwing up his clawed hands and dropping his rifle to the ground. Marion glances over to the woman. She's still alive and crying out in pain.

Corvus turns back to the surrendered alien. "Fuck you." She says and unloads a slug into the turian's gut.

The alien collapses to the ground and throws his hands up in a desperate pleading motion, his eyes wild with terror. "Please." he cries. Marion finishes him with a barrage of gunfire before turning back to the civilian.

Marion rushes to her side. "Don't move." She orders as she reaches for her medi-gel shot. Ignoring the bullet hole in her own shoulder she quickly applies all the gel to the woman's bleeding stomach. The colonist's eyes began to flutter closed and Marion lightly slaps her face. "Stay awake! You're gonna be alright now. I promise." She makes sure the wound seals properly. "Talk to me. Can you hear me?"

"Y-Yes..." The woman says weakly. It's then Marion realizes how beautiful the woman is. Her face is turning pale but she had remarkably soft features with freckles dotting her cheeks and nose and slightly curled blonde hair pulled back into a tight bun.

"Great. I'm gonna get you out of here. You got a name lady?"

"Sarah...My n-name's S-Sarah."

Marion smiles at Sarah to reassure her. "Alright Sarah, I'm gonna pick you up now." She struggles to lift the woman off the ground and cries out in pain as her shoulder burns with pain. She can't worry about the pain now. "Shit." She grunts. Slowly she rises to her feet with the woman in her arms.

Leaving her rifle behind Marion begins running as fast as she can back to base. Barley able to see through the blood and hardly able to feel her right arm somehow she makes it back. She doesn't know how long she's been running but by the time she stops her legs hurt most of all.

Two Alliance marines come running out to her aid. She passes the colonist to one of them and collapses to the ground. The men move to assist her. "Fuck me. Help her." She orders.

Sarah's eyes are locked on her rescuer as she is carried away. Marion drags herself to the medical tent and watches the docs go to work on Sarah. In a rare moment Marion feels proud of herself before she passes out.

* * *

**Corvus's Apartment -Early Morning**

"You wanna drink blue?"

"Water would be lovely."

Marion chuckled. "We got whiskey and...whiskey."

"I'll take a whiskey." Felina smiled. "I suppose we're going to be spending some time together."

"Suppose we will." Corvus agreed as she removed a bottle and two glasses from her kitchen cabinets.

"Perhaps we should get to know each other better."

Marion poured two glasses and slides one to the asari. "What is it you wanna know?"

Felina looked around at the human's home. "Why is it you're living like this? If I had the freedom to explore the galaxy like you do I wouldn't waste away in a place like this."

"Yeah well, the galaxy hasn't exactly been kind to me." Corvus brought her glass to her lips and threw her head back as she took a swig. The sleeve of her jacket slid down her right arm and exposed a simple tattoo. Felina was intrigued by the ink and discreetly inspected the name written on the detective's forearm.

"Who's Sarah?" The asari asked.

Corvus narrowed her eyes. "Nobody."She said as she slid her sleeve back over her forearm.

"Then why did you tattoo her name on your arm?"

"Okay we're gonna need some rules."

"Rules?"

"Yeah. Rule one, You don't ask me about Sarah. Ever. I'll tell you if I think of any others along the way."

Felina began to retreat back into her shell. "I apologize. I'm afraid I am not very skilled at conversing. I guess I haven't really talked to another person in about three decades. Never met a human before either."

"I'm honored." Corvus said in a montone as she lit a smoke that she had resting between her soft lips.

Felina took a sip of her own drink and nearly choked as the harsh drink went down her throat. "By the Goddess, you drink this?!"

Marion cracked a half smile. "Guess we should get some rest. Tomorrow we're gonna need to get some gear." Marion got to her feet and finished off her whiskey.

"Gear?"

"Yeah. You got some asari super cop after you we're gonna need some shit in case things go to...well shit." Marion rose from her kitchen table and walked to her bedroom before Felina spoke up again.

"Miss Corvus."

The detective spun around. "What?"

"Where am I to sleep?"

She hadn't thought of that. The detective sighed. "You can sleep with me."

"Oh. A-Alright. Well, what about that bedroom?" The asari asked as she pointed to Daniel's old room.

"Off limits. Your options are my bed and the ground."

Together they make their way inside Corvus's room. Felina felt especially uncomfortable but she was encouraged that the human would offer to sleep by her side. Perhaps the detective was beginning to like her.

Beneath her bandages Felina's face flushed a deep purple when Marion sheds her leather jacket exposing her ample breasts. Before Felina can divert her gaze the detective had noticed. "We're not fucking. So keep that mind meld shit to yourself." Corvus reached into her dresser and removed a tank top.

"I didn't mean to...I'm sorry." Felina said but still does not divert her eyes from the woman's torso. The asari inspected the scars that had hid under the detective's jacket. Marion's muscular stomach was marred by a hideous scar. Before Felina can investigate further Marion covers herself with the top.

"As far as i'm concerned this is a business arrangement. We're not friends, and I have no interest in "Joining" with you or whatever bullshit term you use."

"I understand." Felina replied in a meek voice. "You may wish to turn around Detective?"

"I'm alright."

"I warned you." Felina said before reaching back and undoing the bandages she has wrapped around her face. Slowly she peels them away until her face is left bare.

Corvus winces as she looks upon the woman's unmasked face. Felina is missing her nose completely along with several horrifying marks running every which way across her blue skin. Her lips are split and for the first time Corvus is able to see the asari's pain in her face as she dips her head in shame.

"Looks like we've both had our fair share of bad luck."

Felina sat down on her side of the bed with her back to the human. "It is the only kind of luck I know."

"Who did that to you?"

The alien was silent for a moment before she answerd. "I did." she whispers.

"Why?"

Corvus regreted the question when she saw tears begin to run down the asari's face. "I'd rather not talk about it. I wish I could say it was a mistake. Please Miss Corvus, can we just go to sleep?"

"Sure." Corvus switched off the light and got under the covers with her back towards the asari.

Felina settled under the sheets herself. "Goodnight Detective."

"Whatever."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Helping me. Nobody has ever helped me. Or treated me like an equal. You're the first person i've met in a very long time who hasn't tried to kill me." The asari said.

"Yeah well you can thank me when the job is done. Go to sleep Blue."

Marion had to admit, she felt bad for the girl. She didn't really understand how she came to be in this situation but Corvus knew enough about painful memories to not prod her for answers now. And while she felt no real attraction to her, it was nice to not have to sleep alone for once.

* * *

The Justicar moved through the crowded streets of the wards with elegance. Somewhere on this station her target hid. With every passing second Felina T'Soni grew even more dangerous. The code demanded she kill her but Raila couldn't help but feel hesitance deep down. This was the closest she'd been to completing her objective and as she grew closer and closer to the moment she would finally end Felina, Raila couldn't help but feel saddened.

For the past 50 years her life had been dedicated to this pursuit. In that time Raila had grown to admire the girl's strength. In a lot of ways she reminded Raila of herself. But her personal opinion was irrelevant. She was a servant of the code and she would live and die by it.

Finally Raila reached her destination and made her way inside the quiet restaurant. The Justicar felt something she hadn't in centuries. She was nervous. She traveled to the back of the cafe as instructed and saw her host sitting calmly in a corner booth.

The asari rose from her seat and spread her arms towards the Justicar. Her long dramatic black dress cascading down her body topped off by the peaked headdress the Matriarch wore gave her a grand appearance. Raila made her way over and accepted the embrace of her superior.

"Raila, how good to see you again." The Matriarch said.

"It pleases me to see you well Matriarch Aquilla." the Justicar replied as they separated and sat at their table.

"It was quite surprising when I heard news you had returned to the Citadel. You haven't returned to the station in nearly 50 years. Can I assume our shared interest has been dealt with?"

"I'm afraid it is the reason I've returned Madam Aquilla."

"You don't mean to imply that my daughter is aboard the Citadel?"

"Unfortunately Felina has fled here."

Aquilla's face turned stern. "I do not need to tell you how imperative it is you deal with this matter quickly. If anyone got word she was still alive and Goddess forbid here."

"I understand."

"Do you? I would have thought this matter would have dealt with already. My daughter is hardly a match for a Justicar. Perhaps you are not up to the task as I first believed."

"Felina's days are numbered. I am confident in that belief."

"I hope so Raila. I do not wish to even think of what would happen if Benezia got word of this."

"Benezia does not know the child still lives?"

"Of course not. I have no way of knowing how she would respond if she learned our daughter still draws breath. The woman can be quite unpredictable. Not to mention the political blowback we would both face. Benezia is concerned with her own foolish daughter anyway. All you need to focus on is finding mine." Aquilla said. "My work cannot afford to be delayed by some ridiculous controversy."

"It will not be a problem for much longer. I must admit, the girl has a remarkable will to live." Raila said.

"Well you better fix that." Aquilla rose to her feet. "When the time comes Raila, tell Felina...tell her goodbye for me. Take care." The Matriarch said and left the Justicar alone.

* * *

**Notes- **I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Now that "Miranda and Jack's First Christmas" is finished I will be focusing on this story and "Shepard and Liara Versus the High School Reunion" Which will be coming VERY soon. Thanks for reading and feel free to leave a review. If you do I'll return the favor.


	4. Brandy Alexander

Chapter 4

**Elysium- 2161**

Shore leave was not something Corvus looked forward to unlike her fellow Marines. One thing Marion loved about the Alliance was she always had something to do. She enlisted in the navy to escape having to be alone. The bar was a fancier place than she was used to. She spotted a few turians sitting together who shot her dirty looks that she shot right back. She even saw one of those Hanar jellyfish things floating around the far wall. The sight of it gave her the creeps.

She strolled over to the bar and took a seat on a high stool. The human male bartender approached her and threw a napkin on to the bar in front of her seat. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Whiskey." Corvus said. Marion was thankful she was lucky enough to find a place where a human could serve her. She still couldn't wrap her head around playing nice with the turians and she sure as hell wasn't letting some claw handed alien prepare her drinks for her. Elysium had the largest alien population she had ever seen personally and it made her uneasy. She went to tip the bartender and pay for her drink with a quick opening of her omni-tool but the man stopped her.

"You're Alliance." He said pointing at her uniform. "Drinks are on the house."

Marion smiled at the man. "Appreciate it." She said before taking a sip of her whiskey.

Suddenly another woman joined her at the bar. She called the bartender over. "Brandy Alexander." she said in a quiet voice.

Marion turned to the new arrival. "A Brandy Alexander?"

The woman opened her mouth to reply but instead her jaw dropped and her eyes widened. "Oh my god!"

Marion's heart raced. "What?!"

"It's you!"

Corvus narrowed her eyes. "Uh lady whoever you think I am I promise you i'm not."

"You're Marion Corvus."

Marion was stunned. "Maybe you do know who I am."

"I've been looking for you for so long Miss Corvus. Nearly four years. I'd give up hope of ever seeing you again." the blonde woman said.

Corvus chuckled awkwardly. "Why is that?"

"I've wanted to thank you." The woman pulled Marion into an unexpected hug and planted a kiss on her cheek. "You saved my life."

Then Marion recognized her. "Sarah."

Sarah's face lit up. "You remember me. The doctors told me who you were but I never got to thank you personally."

"You don't need to thank me." Marion ran her eyes up and down Sarah's body. Sometimes Corvus thought back to that day on Shanxi and pictured the pretty girl she had carried to safety with a hole in her shoulder. She was even prettier than she remembered.

Sarah shook her head and Marion took a moment to admire her curls. "Don't need to thank the woman who saved my life? I don't think so. God, I've spent so much time thinking of what i'd say when I found you and now i'm making a complete fool of myself."

What she called making a fool of herself Marion called being adorable. Most of the woman Corvus had been with were like her; cold, tough and uncaring. But this girl, something about her made Marion smile. "Don't worry about it." Corvus reached into her uniform pocket and removed her box of cigarettes. She slid one smoke out and popped it between her lips. She noticed the way Sarah's eyes followed the box and so she tilted it towards her drinking companion. "Want one?"

"Sure." She replied and slipped a smoke of her own between her painted and plump lips. Marion struck a match and lit the blonde woman's first before bringing the flame to her own.

"So Sarah, you spent four years looking for me? Well here I am."

The blonde blew smoke out through her nose and tilted her head. "Here you are."

* * *

Marion awoke early. She smiled when she felt a warm body sleeping by her side before she remembered. Corvus rose from her bed and got to her feet. For a brief moment she looked upon the mutilated face of her sleeping companion. Despite her misgivings about nonhumans Marion doubted that this girl deserved the life she had been given. The asari seemed like a sweet girl. She was a hell of a lot nicer than she had ever been. This whole ordeal was crazy really. She had no business being this girl's gun for hire. But maybe Marion had been given a chance to make up for all the mistakes she'd made. Mistakes that had cost her a lot and the people she loved even more.

She didn't feel the need to wake the asari up. She got dressed and headed out to visit an old C-Sec contact. She wouldn't be a very good gun for hire without a gun. Obtaining a weapon on the Citadel for anyone who wasn't in law enforcement was damn near impossible. Breaking the law didn't exactly sit right with her. For all the shitty things she'd done she wasn't typically one for crime. But the way she saw it she wasn't gonna be on this damn station for much longer. So what did it matter?

The ride down to the Goldsmith Jazz club didn't take long. She never understood why the club opened this early but she was thankful it was as she stepped inside the all too familiar building. She made her way over to the circular bar where Jerry the old human bartender was currently sweeping up from the night before.

"Detective Corvus, a little early for whiskey." he said.

"Not here for drinks today."

"Oh?"

Marion looked around the bar to confirm they were alone. "In the market for your special items."

Jerry crossed his arms. "Bullshit. You're C-Sec."

"If I had to guess i'd say not anymore. All I need is a heavy pistol and two shields"

Jerry stared at the woman before speaking up again. "A Stiletto will cost you 5000."

"Fine." Corvus watched as the man vanished into the back room behind the bar. She drummed her fingers on the bar nervously as she waited for her purchases.

* * *

Felina awoke in the empty apartment. She stretched out her body and retrieved her face wrap before slowly twirling it around her head. "Miss Coruvs?!" she called out to no response.

Felina made her way out of the bedroom. The human was nowhere to be seen and she figured she had left to gather supplies as she told her last night. For the first time she had the opportunity to explore her new protectors home in detail. Most of the walls were bare, for the most part the detective's apartment was devoid of furnishings. This was not true for the second bedroom. The door to the forbidden room was cracked open and Felina could see what she guessed was a child's room. Felina stole a glance at the apartment's door before stepping in the room just past the doorframe. Corvus didn't strike her as a mother and given the state of this room she guessed she wasn't anymore.

Was this why the human was the way she was? Felina saw resting on a small beside table a young boy's drawing that was covered in a thick layer of dust. She leaned down to it and blew the dust away. The picture was of a crudely drawn boy with dark hair and a woman with blonde hair who was most certainly not Corvus. "Me and Mom" it read.

If Marion wasn't this child's mother who was she? And why was she not featured in this "art". Under the drawing Felina saw another peeking out. She removed the top paper and inspected the one buried beneath it. This crudely drawn figure was one the asari recognized. "Marion" it read.

Felina's heart broke. Whoever this boy was to Corvus his departure had left a hole in her life the detective was still clearly trying to escape from. She made her way back out to the living room. Resting in the corner was a photo frame. As the asari moved in close to it the digital display automatically opened and Felina saw the detective again.

She was younger looking, and lacked the large "L" shaped scar on her cheek. But that wasn't the most surprising aspect of her appearance in the image. She was smiling. Her head was pressed up next to a beautiful blonde woman who Felina had no doubt was Sarah.

She ran her fingers along the display. Perhaps Felina was doing the human a favor of her own by getting her away from this. Then she looked to her feet and saw that she was standing on a large faded red stain on the hard floors. It didn't take her long to figure out what it was.

* * *

Corvus watched as Jerry returned with the pistol and two shields. He dropped the gear on the bar. "Shields are on the house. Call it a thank you for your years of loyal patronage. Ordinary I wouldn't be caught dead selling guns to a cop. But something tells me you're not about to bring down your favorite bar." he said.

"Thanks. But I think this may be my final visit."

"Oh?"

"I'm leaving the Citadel. Don't think i'm ever coming back." Corvus didn't have friends. But Jerry had been serving her long enough and heard more than his fair share of her drunken ramblings for her to know the man probably knew her better than anyone else on the station. "Guess i'll miss you old man."

"Take care of yourself detective. Might be early but how about I make you one last drink?"

Marion nodded. "Sure."

"Whiskey?"

"Brandy Alexander." she told him.

Jerry looked surprised but began preparing the rather out of the ordinary cocktail. He placed it in front of her and she paid the man. She took a sip of the sweet tasting beverage. "Here I am." She whispered before she finished her drink in silence. She said her goodbyes to the old man behind the bar and tucked her new pistol into the holster under her leather jacket.

She figured she'd pick up Felina before making her next stop so she headed home.

* * *

As she made her way inside her apartment she found Felina on her hands and knees cleaning the floors. "Oh! Miss Corvus. Good morning."

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Just tiding up. The place was a bit of a mess so I figured I'd do something nice for you and keep myself busy." Felina answered.

"Well, I need to talk with my partner back at C-Sec. And if all goes well we will be leaving the Citadel from there so why don't you come with me."

"D-Did you pick up the other item?"

Corvus flashed her holstered pistol. "Yeah. Oh and here!" Marion tossed the asari her shield and Felina caught it. "You might need that. Let's go."

"Don't you wanna say goodbye? To your home I mean."

Corvus took one last look around. "No." she said and walked out through the door.

* * *

**C-Sec **

Valerk sat nervously behind his desk. It was the lunch hour leaving the bullpen otherwise abandoned but Valerk wasn't hungry. Ever since that Justicar had payed him a visit he couldn't get what she had told him out of his head. He kept expecting to see the asari return to tell him she had caught her. Then an even more surprising visitor turned the corner and made her way to his desk.

"Corvus? What are you doing here? If Harkin sees you you'll be arrested." Then Valerk saw the asari behind Marion with bandages covering her face. Just like the woman the Justicar warned him about. He froze.

"Harkin can go fuck himself. I need a transport vessel. One of the C-Sec ones will do but I can't access the lot."

Valerk hardly heard any of that. "Who's the asari?"

Felina presented her hand for a handshake. "B-Benezia. It's wonderful to meet a friend of Corvus."

The turian didn't accept the handshake. Clearly the asari didn't know much about Marion if she thought she had any friends. "You said you needed a ship from the lot? Let me check on that. Just stay here." He said and scurried off. Once he was out of sight he frantically brought up his omni-tool and dialed the number the Justicar had given him.

"Officer Valerk." Raila answered.

"You should get back to the station."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because that girl you're looking for just walked in here with my old partner Corvus."

"You're certain?"

"Yeah, Asari with a bandaged face. She said her name was Benezia. Does that mean anything to you?" Valerk said.

"You were right to call me Officer. That is Felina. Keep her there I will be there as quickly as the Goddess will allow." Then Raila hung up and Valerk made his way back to his desk.

Corvus was leaning up against his cubicle wall with her arms crossed and Felina was sitting in his witness chair her hands politely folded in her lap. "So can you help me out or what?" Marion asked.

"Can I talk to you in private?" Valerk asked the human.

Corvus looked to the asari. "Stay here Blue." she said and followed the turian. "What's up?"

"What are you doing with that girl?!" he said in a combination of a shout and a whisper.

Corvus arched her bisected eyebrow. "What the hell does it matter to you?"

"It matters because she's a killer!"

"Her?" Corvus chuckled. "I don't think so."

"The other day a Justicar came in here looking for her. She said that she's the most dangerous person on the station. And that her real name was Felina T'Soni or something like that."

"The Justicar was here?"

Valerk's eyes widened. "You're missing the point Corvus!"

"And what makes Felina so dangerous?"

"There's something wrong with her. She said that she had some genetic disorder. Had some funny asari name." Valerk tried to recall the name before it popped into his head. "Ardat Yakshi. That's it, she said that she's an Ardat Yakshi."

"What the fuck does that mean? So the kid has a gene disorder. Doesn't mean she's dangerous. She had every opportunity to kill me in my sleep last night. Listen, I'm no fan of aliens but I kinda feel like I need to help her."

"Since when are you playing the hero?"

"I've made some shit choices in life, Valerk. I've got to help her. It's the right thing to do. I have to do this one good thing."

Valerk began to have a change of heart. If Marion trusted the asari maybe what the Justicar had told him wasn't true. He believed his partner more than Raila. She wasn't very pleasant to him in past but he had been the woman's partner for years and he had learned to trust her instincts. "Why do you really need to do this?"

"She'd want me to."

The turian sighed. "I can't help you. But I can warn you. I called the Justicar and told her the girl was here."

Corvus grabbed her partner's collar. "Why the hell would you do that?"

"You don't have time to waste here. If you need a ship go to Barla Von."

"The Volus?" Corvus released the turian.

"Yeah. He can find you something. I called the Justicar so I can delay her while you two get out of here."

"Thanks." she said. "Why are you doing this for me?"

"I'm asking myself that same question."

"I know I was always a bitch. And I sure as hell don't like turians. But you're a good man Valerk. I owe you."

"What are friends for?"

Corvus flashed a brief smile and ran back to Felina. "We gotta go now!"

Felina's shot to her feet. "What is it?!"

"The Justicar is coming."

"Goddess! Detective, you can't let her catch me."

"Wasn't planning on it. Let's go!"

* * *

Raila was in a full on sprint by the time she entered C-Sec HQ with her weapon drawn. She wouldn't hesitate this time. As much as she admired the girl she had to be put down. The Justicar turned the corner into the bullpen and aimed her pistol. Felina was not here. The only other soul in the room was Officer Valerk who rose from his office chair.

"It was a misunderstanding. It was not the girl you were looking for after all. Sorry to waste your time." Valerk said.

"Is she still here detective?"

"No. Like I said wrong girl."

Raila aimed her gun at the turian's chest. "Another bandaged asari who happens to go by the name of Felina's father? I am not a fool detective. Assisting a fugitive of a Justicar has dire consequences."

"Put your gun down Justicar! She's not who you think she is."

"Why are you protecting her? Tell me where she went or I will not be responsible for what comes next."

"I can't help you. And you're not gonna shoot a C-Sec investigator."

Raila's finger hovered over the trigger. "Don't make me do this. Tell me where she is!"

Valerk was silent for a moment. His eyes trained on the asari's weapon. "No."

Raila's eyes filled with sadness. "Then by the code you must die. Find peace in the embrace of the Goddess."

"Wait!" the turian screamed too late. Raila fired one slug into his center of mass and the detective collapsed to the floor.

Valerk gasped for air and pawed at the bleeding wound in his chest. His mind raced, emotions crashing into each other as the Justicar strolled towards him. Anger, Confusion, Sadness, Fear. These were the last things he felt before Raila fired a second bullet through his head. The Justicar sighed. "I'm sorry." she said softly.

"Put your weapon down now!" A hard male voice shouted from behind her. Raila spun around and found a squad of C-Sec officers with their weapons trained on her. "Put your fucking gun down!"

There were too many for her too take down. The Justicar did as commanded and threw up her arms before allowing herself to be taken into custody. It was unfortunate the officers had to get involved. For even a jail cell would not keep her from pursuing her target. And neither would anyone standing in her way. But this incident was not all for not. She had something to track Felina by now. The name Valerk mentioned, Corvus. Whoever this Corvus person was she looked forward to meeting them soon.

* * *

**Notes- **Sorry for the slow first half but I promise it was needed. From here on out things are gonna be moving much quicker. I also am making an announcement about this story. I've decided to try and make this my nano and hit as close as I can to 50,000 words by the end of the month. So ideally I will have a chapter out every day. But that will mean some other previously announced stories will be facing a short delay. Sorry but I hit a bit of a temporary wall with Shepard and Liara and want to make sure their next adventure is as good as I can make it before publishing the first part. To make up for it I may or may not have a Miranda One-shot on the way and it may or may not feature Jack too. Please feel free to review and tell me where you think everything is heading. I love predictions and props to SherryE for being dead on with hers.


	5. The Ardat-Yakshi

Chapter 5

**Cyone- 2130 **

Felina sat in silence in the back of the cafe. Alone like always. She reached up and scratched her nose before taking a sip of her tea. Her eyes were trained to the door. She had done a good job of losing the Justicar back on Illium but it didn't matter where she went. She never felt at peace. She began rapidly scanning the faces of everyone in the small asari cafe to see if they were watching her. Goddess, how she wished she could be free of this. Why her? Why couldn't she have been given a normal life like everyone else. It's wasn't her fault for how she was born.

Felina pushed those thoughts from her mind. Feeling sorry for herself wasn't going to help her. She took another sip of her tea and licked her lips. Sometimes she wondered why she was doing this. She had been running for so long but she still had no idea where she was running to. Part of her wondered that if she had been given the opportunity to go into seclusion on Lessus if she would have done it. But her mother wasn't about to let her Ardat-Yakshi daughter survive. Aquilla couldn't bare the shame, more realistically she didn't want to be bothered dealing with the fallout of giving birth to the single greatest source of shame to the asari.

But Felina would rather run than be imprisoned with her fellow Ardat-Yakshi. Still, the isolation of her life took it's toll. Before she was diagnosed Felina had many friends. Never wanting to be alone she surrounded herself with anyone she could. But she missed Benezia most of all.

Her father had been a kind woman. And the only person she ever truly felt loved her. But like everyone else she knew Benezia wouldn't help her. Alone is how she'd been for decades, it's how she'd stay until she died. A tear ran down her cheek and she wiped it away.

Felina nearly jumped out of her seat in surprise when another asari sat across from her. "And how long have you been on the run?" the woman asked.

Felina was frozen with fear. "I..I d-don't know what you m-mean." she stuttered.

The woman smirked. "You don't spend as much time on the run as I have without being able to spot a fellow fugitive from a mile away. So what did you do?"

"Nothing."

The woman shook her head. "There's something about you that's different."

Felina dropped her eyes. "Please...I just want to enjoy my tea."

The woman rolled her eyes. "I'm no Justicar. I'm not here to catch you."

Felina calmed down a bit. Perhaps a conversation would do her good. "You are pursued by a Justicar as well?"

"I knew it."

"Knew what?"

"Goddess, I've never met another. Well other than my sisters. How many have you claimed?"

Disbelief washed over Felina. "You're..."

"Just like you. So tell me how many?"

"None." she answered.

The woman's unmarked face looked surprise. "Really? You must be new. Don't worry you're gorgeous. You'll have racked up quite the score soon enough. I'm sure of it."

"You've done it?"

Her companion smiled. "I have. Goddess you can't imagine how amazing it feels. I was scared at first like you but once you give yourself over to those urges there's nothing else like it. I almost feel bad for everyone else. But girls like you and me don't need to feel sorry for them. They're scared of us because they know we're better."

"You believe that? I'm not so certain."

"Don't be ashamed of how you were born. You and me, we're the genetic destiny of the asari."

"I-I don't want to hurt anyone. I can't."

The woman shook her head. "Eventually you're not gonna have a choice. Before I first did it those urges had me in fits. It was so painful I couldn't hold out any longer. One day some poor idiot will take interest in a pretty thing like you and when that day comes you're not gonna be able to stop yourself." She said. "If I was you I wouldn't wait. Trust me it's worth it."

"No...I can't."

Suddenly the woman looked offended. Enraged even. "How disappointing. Well if you insist on clinging to your morals I do know another way."

Felina leaned in close. "Truly?"

"There's a place far out of asari space where no Justicar follows. Been there myself a few times to lay low for a few decades. It's wonderful. And unlike those Monasteries the Matriarchs ship us off to like animals you're free there."

"It sounds perfect." She smiled. "Why are you not there now?"

"I like to be out in the wild. I find the hunt much more...rewarding that way."

"C-Could you tell me where I could find this place?"

The woman smiled a devilish grin. "Of course." she leaned in and whispered the coordinates in her ear and Felina began saying them in her mind over and over again. Then she rose to her feet.

"How can I trust you?" Felina asked.

"Why would I lie?" She answered. "Been a pleasure. Maybe i'll see you again some day."

"Wait. What's your name?"

The woman smiled. "Morinth."

* * *

**The ****Presidium**

Felina followed a few paces behind Marion. The human even walked severely but being with Corvus made Felina feel safe. As they made their way across the expansive Presidium Felina had to stop and take a moment admire it's beauty. The water, the trees and the way the skycars soared overhead. It made Felina's lips curve into a smile.

"What are you doing?" Marion asked

"It's so beautiful Detective. Have you ever seen anything like this?"

"The Presidium? Nothing here but a bunch of whining ambassadors."

"That's not true. Just take a moment to look." Felina pleaded and took the human's hand as she led her over to the guard rail that overlooked the pond.

"We don't have time."

"Please Corvus?"

Marion sighed and looked around at the Presidium. "I guess it's kinda pretty." she admitted.

Felina realized she was still holding the human's hand and quickly released her. "When I was a child I would dream of visiting places like this. I always planned on fulfilling those dreams when I came of age." The asari sighed and Corvus noticed her voice drop.

"Well you're here now." Marion's voice softened.

"Did you have a dream Miss Corvus?"

Marion leaned on the railing and looked away from the asari. "I did."

"What was it?"

"Doesn't matter. Having a dream is good for two things. Disappointment when it doesn't come true or devastation when it's taken away."

"They're all that have kept me going." Felina said. "Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"H-Have you ever killed someone?"

"A few." Corvus answered. "What the hell are you doing asking me about something like that?"

"How did it feel?"

"In most cases it was horrible."

"In most cases?"

"Some people deserve to die Blue."

Felina looked back to the soaring skycars. "And how do you know which people deserve to die?"

"I can't figure you out asari." Corvus said.

"What do you mean?"

"One minute you're all about the pretty scenery and the next you ask me about taking a life."

"I apologize. Sometimes I get these urges. It's...not something I could explain."

Corvus turned to her companion. "Have you killed someone?"

"No! Of course not. I could never do something like that."

"Alright. Then tell me this. What is an Ardat-Yakshi? And why does the Justicar think you're one."

Felina's eyes widened. "How do you know?"

"What does it mean?"Marion demanded.

Felina was silent for a few moments before she quietly spoke up."It's a rare asari genetic disorder. After my mother discovered I was afflicted with it she sent the Justicar to kill me."

"Why would they just put you down? Can't they treat you?"

"There's no treatment. The code of the Justicar demands that people like me be dealt with in this way. Instead of accepting my execution I ran."

"So it's just a gene disorder? That's all?"

Felina turned her back to the human. "Yes."

"Alright. Well, for what it's worth I'm not gonna let the Justicar hurt you." She said. "Let's get going. We still got a volus to see."

* * *

**Cyone- 2130**

Felina stood alone in her tiny hotel room. Her mother's wealth had been instrumental in keeping her identity a secret but she still couldn't bring herself to spend money unnecessarily on lavish hotel rooms. Her conversation with Morinth weeks back hadn't left her mind for a moment. While the chance to find a safe haven and no longer have to live like this was incredible it wasn't what stuck in her mind most.

Morinth was right, a day would come where she wouldn't be able to resist her urges. And escaping to this safe haven could take her a long time. She couldn't allow that day to come in between. Recently those urges had been particularly hard, and she could only calm her desires herself to a certain capacity. She longed for a mate. So she had to ensure nobody would ever long for her.

She had spent the past few days studying rudimentary medical practices and obtaining an adequate supply of medi-gel. And she had spent the last hour and a half studying her face in the mirror of the bathroom. She was a beautiful girl, there was an innocence about her face and her big blue eyes could melt anyones heart. At the moment her own heart was nearly beating out of her chest. She had to do this, she couldn't become like Morinth. She couldn't hurt someone else.

Her fingers wrapped around the short blade resting in the sink. Slowly she brought it to her face just under her right eye. She wanted to shut her eyes but she needed to see. She dug the blade into her blue flesh and let out a cry of pain as hot purple blood oozed from the wound. Tears streamed from her eyes as she dragged the blade down her cheek, carving jaggedly into her flesh. She let out another scream as she repeated the cut on the other cheek and again she dug the blade into her face. And again and again until she no longer recognized her own reflection.

Her hands were shaking by the time she stopped and she dropped the blood soaked knife into the sink and looked upon herself in the mirror. Her face was covered in blood and she felt light headed. She fumbled for the medi-gel and began applying it to her cuts. It burned as her open wounds were sealed. She turned on the faucet and washed the purple blood from her face and got a clearer view of her now mutilated appearance. But she knew it wasn't enough.

Her shaking fingers found the blade again and she hesitantly brought it to her nose. She couldn't bring herself to watch this cut and shut her eyes as she began to carve her nose off.

* * *

**Notes-** So as I promised here is the daily chapter and you can expect one tomorrow. Sorry for the graphic violence but I felt like it was necessary for Felina's development. Tomorrow we catch up with the Justicar and see some more of Marion's past.


	6. Search and Destroy

Chapter 6

**Elysium-2161 **

In all the years Marion had picked up girls from bars this was the first time she had left with a woman when they were both sober. They had spent hours just talking, something Marion had never done with anyone. Usually nobody wanted to hear much of what Corvus had to say but this woman was different.

Sarah would ask her about life in the Alliance and Marion would answer her honestly expecting to scare the blonde away but it almost seemed to draw her closer. As if everything Marion said was interesting. And to her amazement she could say the same about her.

Sarah had told her about life in the colonies, growing up on Earth and her travels across the galaxy. In a lot of ways she was different from Marion. She was kind, smart and had an unmistakable innocence about her.

Together they walked outside in the city streets of Illyria. Elysium's capital city reminded Marion a bit of the sprawling metropolises of Earth. It's tall buildings stretched to the heavens as clouds began to roll in to the sky overhead.

"A woman like you must have a lot of friends?" Sarah said.

Corvus laughed. "Not really."

"That surprises me. You're an interesting woman. I very much enjoyed our evening."

"I did too."

"If that's true maybe it doesn't have to end."

Marion turned to the woman. "What did you have in mind?"

"There's a lovely spot over by the ocean side. Out on the pier. I like to go there some nights. I'd love to show it to you."

"I'd like that." Marion said.

"Wonderful." Together they strolled to the water and out on the pier until they reached the edge and stood together close enough for their shoulders to touch. "It's beautiful here."

"Yeah. It is."

"Sometimes I would come here alone and think about you. And how I never would have been able to see this if it wasn't for you."

"Anyone would have done the same thing."

Sarah shook her head. "I don't think that's true. You're a better person than you give yourself credit for Marion."

"You don't know me that well. Trust me I'm not."

Sarah disregarded her words. "You're a good woman. I know it."

Corvus stood in silence as she looked out to the water. Then she felt Sarah softly grip her hand. Marion turned to face the blonde and Sarah leaned in and kissed her. At first Marion didn't know how to respond but soon she closed her eyes and kissed her back. Sarah's arms roped around Marion's waist and Corvus awkwardly searched for a place to rest her own hand before settling on Sarah's hips.

When their lips separated Sarah was silent. The woman just stared into Marion's blue eyes. "Was that your way of thanking me?" Corvus asked.

"That was my way of saying I like you."

* * *

**The Presidium**

"You know this volus?" Felina asked.

"Barla Von? Yeah I know him. Slippery bastard was a witness to a murder about six months back. He works for that information broker."

"Information broker?"

"Yeah, the Shadow Broker."

Felina shrugged. "I've never heard of him."

"He doesn't matter. But if anyone can get us off the Citadel without anyone knowing it's him."

Corvus and Felina made their way inside Von's office and the volus looked up from behind his desk. "Hssst, Detective Corvus. What a pleasant surprise. And even more surprising to see you in the company of an asari."

"I need you to do something for me."

"Hssst, I'm in the business of favors Detective. But from what I hear your position among C-Sec is no longer what it once was. Hssst, I have no use for favors from a former C-Sec officer."

"I'm here for Detective Valerk. He asked me to come to you with obtaining a transport vessel without any record of such a transaction taking place. You do this for us and Valerk will be happy to service any C-Sec related needs you may have. Within the confines of the law of course."

"Hssst, An interesting proposal. And all I would have to do in exchange is provide a ship for you and your asari friend?"

"The asari isn't any of your concern. When this is dealt with you forget you ever saw her."

"Hssst, I just find it interesting that an asari fugitive would be under the protection of an earthclan. And more specifically you."

"How do you know who she is?"

"Hssst, The Shadow Broker has an invested interest in Matriarch Aquilla. Her Ardat-Yakshi daughter is not a secret from him. Hssst, Neither is her presence aboard this station."

"B-But I've only been aboard the Citadel for two days." Felina said.

"Hssst, And the broker called my attention to you two days ago."

Corvus rounded his desk and towered over the volus. "The Shadow Broker isn't going to get her hands on her. And you're going to agree to help us or I will beat you until you do."

"Hssst, Oh dear! You misunderstand. The Broker wishes to ensure Felina's safety. Hssst, I will help you. Your proposal is not necessary." Barla said.

"Why would this Shadow Broker want to help me?" Felina asked.

"Hssst, Your survival is potential ammunition against Matriarch Aquilla. Hssst, The Shadow Broker does not care for your mother or her ideology on asari superiority."

"I suppose that's something we have in common." Felina said.

Corvus crossed her arms. "You said you'd help us."

"Hssst, I will. However I can't be linked to helping an Ardat-Yakshi escape an asari Justicar. Hssst, but if you were to see a friend of mine on Tayseri Ward I believe he could help you attain a ship."

"Okay. Does this contact of yours have a name?"

"Hssst, go to the Dilinaga concert hall tonight. Janellen Lepp is performing and my contact will be found backstage. Hssst, ask for Caleb Toke. I will send him the details of the exchange so everything will go smoothly once you arrive." Barla said.

Corvus returned to Felina's side. "Alright. In the meantime we're gonna have to lay low. Let's go."

"Hssst, Take care of her detective. The Shadow Broker would be most displeased if any harm were to come to the girl."

* * *

**C-Sec **

Raila remained silent as the two turian officers interrogated her in the small interrogation room. A pair of biotic dampeners were clamped around her hands. She had bided her time for the perfect moment to strike and knew the time was fast approaching. She eyed the two officer's holstered guns and opened her mouth to speak for the first time in two hours.

"I am Raila, A servant of the Justicar code. I pursue a fugitive aboard this station and my pursuit cannot afford to be delayed any longer."

One of the turian's laughed. "I'm no asari, Justicar. So I couldn't care less about your bullshit code. You killed a cop. We don't let cop killers walk."

"I do not wish to harm innocents, officer. However if you do not release me I will be forced to. So I must give you my final warning. Release me or I will kill you both and release myself."

The turian leaned close to the woman. "Try it bitch."

Raila lurched forward and bit her teeth down on the soft flesh of the turian's exposed slender neck. She ripped her head back, taking a chunk of the officer's flesh in her mouth. Blue blood poured from the man's neck as he fell backwards clutching at his wound.

The second officer reached for his gun but was too slow for the Justicar. Raila swung the dampeners clamped around her fists and clubbed the man in the face, cracking his face plating and knocking him to the ground. The turian fumbled for his gun on the ground and Raila was forced to bring her hands down again on his face and again until he no longer moved.

Quickly she swiped the dampeners over the electric key strapped to the dead turian's belt and freed her hands. She wasted no time retrieving the two officer's guns and took one in each hand. She extended their barrels just as reinforcements came pouring into the small room.

Raila wasted both of them with a barrage from her dual pistols. Further painting the white room blue. She made her way back out into the offices, careful not to aim at any unarmed individuals as they ran for their lives. Raila had no intentions of killing unnecessarily.

A second squad of 3 more officers rounded the corner with weapons drawn. Two humans and one more turian fell victim to her as she unloaded skillfully placed shots into their heads. They all fell dead to the ground. She ran to their corpses and removed one of the human's omni-tools from their limp arm.

She holstered one of the dead turian's pistols and tossed the other aside as she replaced them with the other dead human's Lancer. A fresh squad of six more men and an asari came funneling down the hallways towards her. She crouched behind cover before spinning out and unloading her rifle into them. The remaining three officers returned fire but Raila was able to throw up a barrier to shield herself from their attack. While her target's guns were overheated she unleashed a powerful blast of biotic power that flung all three hard against the walls knocking them out or simply breaking their spines. Raila didn't wish to know.

She took advantage in the momentary break in action and began running to the exit only having to kill one more hostile on her way out. She found herself in a skycar lot and luckily spotted a human landing his vehicle just as she came outside. She ran towards him with her weapon aimed and the man threw his arms up. She thanked the Goddess she didn't need to take another life as she jumped into the driver seat and took off.

Once she was in the air she noticed a pair of C-Sec cars take off after her. She accelerated as fast as the skycar would go and sped off away from her pursuers. Soon she found only one car behind her. She shook her head in frustration. She readied her rifle and set the car for auto-pilot before popping open the door. She leaned out of the speeding vehicle and began unloading the Lancer into the pursuing skycar.

Her bullets shot through the windshield and struck the C-Sec driver sending the car crashing down to the ground in a powerful explosion.

Raila returned inside and let her car slip into the flow of traffic before popping her stolen omni-tool on her wrist. Detective Valerk had mention this Corvus person was his old partner which would mean there would be a record of them in the C-Sec database. It didn't take her long to find what she was looking for in the dead officer's device.

Marion Corvus, that was her new target's name. As with all C-Sec officers she had a biometric tracker enabled that would lead Raila right to her and more importantly, Felina.

* * *

**Notes- **I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I wanted to thank everyone who has taken the time to review this story. Tomorrow you can expect another chapter.


	7. A Bacon and Eggs Kinda Girl

Chapter 7

**Sex Warning! Don't like Lesbian Sex? Firstly, what's wrong with you? Secondly Skip the first segment. **

* * *

**Elysium-2161 **

Marion fumbled into Sarah's apartment with the blonde woman latched on to her lips. They both pawed at each-others clothes but Sarah was first to peel Marion out of her Alliance uniform. The blonde brought her hands up and squeezed Corvus's generously sized breasts before running her fingers along Marion's scarred body.

"You're so beautiful." Sarah whispered in her ear.

Marion finally unbuttoned Sarah's top and stripped it off her shoulders. Her eyes were drawn to the large scar on the blonde's stomach. A permeant reminder of Shanxi, just like the several scars that marked her own face. She leaned in and captured Sarah's lips again as they backed towards the civilian's bed.

They collapsed together on to the mattress. They continued to kiss as Sarah's hand found it's way inside Marion's pants. Corvus moaned as the blonde slipped her fingers inside her.

This wasn't like any other time Marion had been in bed with another. Her sexual history couldn't be described as anything more than a series of one night stands. There was no room for any emotional connection with her prior partners. That wasn't true now. Marion liked this woman. To a degree she didn't fully understand. Almost everything Sarah had done that night from the shy look in her eyes to the way her freckled nose scrunched up when she laughed had made Marion's heart melt.

She had real feelings for her. And those feelings only intensified the pleasure she felt as Sarah's lips slipped from Marion's own and found their way to one of Corvus's nipples. It didn't feel like fucking, it felt like making love.

Marion wasn't about to let Sarah do all the work and gently pushed her back on to the bed. She sat up on her elbows and smiled as Corvus pulled her panties down to her knees and buried her head between the blonde's legs. She was happy to find her wet already and slowly began swiping her tongue over the blonde's swollen clit.

Sarah let out a cry of pleasure and reached down to run her fingers through Marion's dark brown hair. Marion continued working her tongue between the woman's legs. She reached one hand up and ran it across Sarah's stomach before she found the scar. Sarah's reached over and intertwined their fingers. She gripped Corvus's hand tight as she came crashing towards climax and she said Marion's name as she came.

Marion crawled up next to her on the bed and Sarah rolled her over before spreading Marion's legs. "Your turn." she whispered.

* * *

**Executor Pallin's Office-2170**

"Thirteen officers Madam Councilor! Thirteen!" Pallin screamed.

Tevos squirmed in her seat. Ordinarily nobody would talk to a council member like this but Tevos knew how dire this situation was. "I understand Pallin."

"This Justicar slaughtered decent men and women all in the pursuit of one fugitive!"

"The situation is bad. There's no denying that. But the Justicar did as her code decided."

Pallin pointed his finger at the asari. "Don't you dare stand up for her. I want her taken down."

Tevos sighed. "That could be a problem. Your men couldn't stop her in your own base of operations. And I do not know how the Matriarchs on Thessia will respond to news that C-Sec is targeting a Justicar."

"You can't be suggesting we let her get away with this." Pallin said.

"I'm not. I'm simply saying we must be delicate in how we handle this. Keep this as quiet as you can. We don't need the media reporting on a Justicar massacring C-Sec. And we don't want word of this reaching Thessia."

"Fine."

Tevos sighed. "This is a disaster. We have to deal with this quickly."

"I'm sending all available units to bring her down. The minute she comes out of hiding we'll find her and take her down."

* * *

Marion and Felina made their way through the streets of Tayseri ward. A few passerbys stared at Felina's bandaged face as they moved past as the asari dipped her head. She remembered when she first cut her face she thought she would get used to the stares, but she never did. Still the stares were better than the cries of terror that sometimes came from those unlucky enough to see her face unmasked.

At least her idea had worked and the pain she felt as she carved off her nose and slit her cheeks open wasn't in vain she thought in an attempt to comfort herself. Marion looked over her shoulder and saw Felina trailing behind with her head hanging low. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she asked.

"Nothing." Felina said.

Marion sighed. She looked to her left and saw a human cafe. "We got some time to kill. Why don't we eat."

Felina brought her head back up. "Alright."

They made their way to a table in the very back of the establishment. Marion made sure she sat facing the entrance and that her gun was ready to fire if the Justicar came for them here.

"Corvus..." Felina said quietly.

Marion sensed another question coming and sighed. "Yeah?"

"What's it like to be in love?"

Corvus hadn't expected that. "Why you asking me that?"

"It's something i've wondered about my entire life. Perhaps because I know i'll never know the answer myself."

"And why's that? Cause of your disorder?"

"Yes...I know nobody will ever love an Ardat-Yakshi. I accepted that long ago. But I just have to know what it feels like. Please tell me."

Marion's eyes dropped to the name written on her arm. "It was the best thing to ever happen to me. And the worst."

"T-The worst?"

"I'm not about to wax fucking poetic kid. But i've never felt happier than I did when I was with her."

Felina leaned in close. "Sarah?"

"Don't say her name." Corvus said softly. "Just please don't."

"Sorry... Why was it the worst?"

"Cause the pain I felt before I met her wasn't shit compared to the pain I feel after her. Sometimes I wish I could forget her. Just go back to the way I was."

"Can I ask how you lost her?"

Corvus ran her fingers over the L shaped scar on her cheek. "No." Marion's voice was stern. "Just know this Blue. Never falling in love isn't as bad as you think it is."

Felina took Marion's hand in her own."I'm sorry for whatever happened. You didn't deserve it, I think you're a good woman."

Corvus shut her eyes. "Please don't say that."

They ordered their food and sat in silence until it was delivered. Together they quietly ate their meals.

* * *

**Elysium- 2161 **

Marion's eyes fluttered open as Elysium's sun bathed the apartment in light. Corvus looked over and found Sarah resting her head on her shoulder over top her old bullet wound. Slowly she inched her hand towards her and softly ran her fingers through her golden hair. Sarah opened her eyes and smiled at Marion and Corvus couldn't help smiling back.

"Hey." Marion said.

"Good morning." Sarah rolled over and stretched out as she let out a cute yawn that made Marion's smile grow.

"Last night was..."

"Incredible." Sarah said finishing Marion's thought perfectly. Sarah leaned down and planted a quick kiss on Corvus's lips. "Why don't we get out of bed and i'll make you breakfast." Sarah almost leapt out of bed and padded towards her kitchen. Marion's eyes were glued to her backside as she rose from the mattress herself. "Oh! Clothes are in the dresser on the right side of the bed. I don't even mind you borrowing my panties." She giggled.

Marion got dressed in an undershirt and panties and grabbed a fresh set for Sarah as well. She made her way into the kitchen and threw the change of clothes to her. Sarah caught them and slid the underwear up her legs first before pulling the tank top over her head. "Thanks. So are you a bacon and eggs kinda girl? Cause i'm getting that vibe."

Marion chuckled. "Sounds good."

Sarah made her way to the fridge and removed a carton of eggs. "So I guess we should address the elephant in the room. I wanna see you again."

"Really?"

"Absolutely."

Marion smiled yet again. "That's good because I kinda have feelings for you..."

Sarah laughed. "Well I kinda have feelings for you too."

"That's not really a thing that happens for me." Corvus admitted.

"What? feelings?"

"Yeah..."

Sarah began cracking the eggs over a frying pan. "I guess i'm a lucky girl."

"There's something you should know."

"You don't really like bacon and eggs?" Sarah guessed and giggled.

"I'm getting deployed in a week."

"Oh... alright."

Corvus raised her bisected eyebrow. "Alright?"

"Yeah. That just means I have a week to give you a good reason to come back for me."

* * *

Felina finished chewing her final bite of dinner and swallowed.

Corvus reached in her jacket and removed a cigarette before lighting it between her lips. "My turn to ask questions." she said.

"Okay."

"Why'd you cut up your face? A genetic disorder doesn't really call for a make-over like that."

"I did it so nobody would be close to me. I didn't want to hurt anyone."

"Why would you be worried about hurting someone?"

"It's difficult to explain. And i'd rather not try." Felina said.

Marion took a drag from her cigarette and blew smoke out the side of her mouth. "Fair enough. Then tell me this. Let's say I get you to this safe haven of yours. What then?"

"Honestly I haven't thought that far ahead. I suppose i'll know when we get there."

"I just hope they have whiskey. I have a feeling I'm gonna need a drink after all this is done."

* * *

**Notes- **Sorry i'm late with posting. I got way behind today because I was a little busy. But another chapter will be coming later today to make up for it. I hope you didn't mind the slower pace here. Think of this as the calm before the storm. Next chapter Felina and Corvus go to the concert hall and Raila returns.


	8. The Concert Hall

Chapter 8

**Elysium-2161 **

For the first time since she joined the Alliance Marion found herself not wanting to go back on deployment. Her week spent on Elysium had been by all accounts the best of her life. She and Sarah had spent every day together just getting to know each-other. It was perfect.

Marion shrugged her bag on to her shoulder and looked at the Alliance Ship she and her squad were about to board. Sarah stood by her side.

"I guess this is goodbye." Marion said.

"Is it?" Sarah asked.

"I'm gonna be gone for a year, Sarah."

"I know we've only known each-other for a week but it feels like so much longer to me." Sarah said.

"Me too."

"I'll be here for you when you get back. I promise. Just please come back for me."

"I can't have you wait for me like that. It's not fair to you."

"What's not fair would be coming into a girl's life, making her care about you and then asking her to let you go. I'm not going anywhere."

Marion smiled and took the shorter woman in her strong arms and kissed her passionately. "I'm gonna miss you so bad."

"The feeling is mutual. Stay safe, please."

"Thank you." Marion said.

"For what?"

Corvus didn't answer she just kissed her again. "Bye Sarah."

Sarah pulled her close. "Goodbye Marion."

**Dilinaga Concert Hall- Tayseri Ward **

The concert hall was packed. Marion had never heard of Janellen Lepp but apparently the singer had a large following that had drawn a nauseatingly high population to their meeting sight. But Corvus knew the crowd would be a good cover in case the Justicar showed up.

Felina was falling behind and Marion grabbed the asari's hand and began leading her inside the massive building. The crowd thinned out a bit once they stepped inside. The seats cascaded down towards the stage where some asari warm-up band was performing.

Marion lead Felina to a pair of empty seats so they could catch their breath and figure out their next move.

"It's wonderful isn't it Miss Corvus?" Felina said. the excitement of the scene carrying over into her voice.

"It's a fucking mess."

"I've never heard music like this! Well I suppose I haven't heard much music at all. I like it. Don't you?"

"Focus Blue. We need to get backstage so we can meet Barla Von's contact."

"Can't we listen to the music for a bit?" Felina asked.

Marion sighed and retrieved a fresh smoke. "Fine. One song." she said and lit the cigarette between her lips. Felina leaned in closer and bounced her leg to the beat. Marion had to admit it was nice seeing the girl enjoying something. She took a drag and blew smoke out her nose before she noticed a squad of C-Sec officers make their way inside the concert hall down by the stage armed with assault rifles. "What the hell?"

Felina turned. "What is it?"

Marion ignored her and turned back to the entrance and saw a second squad making their way inside. "That's not good."

"What's not good?" Fear began to invade Felina's voice.

"C-Sec is putting armed protection detail in the concert hall."

"So?"

"So that means either something very bad has happened. Or they think something bad is going to happen here. Or both." She spotted a third and fourth team make their way to the sides of the concert hall. Marion decided she needed to know what was going on and brought up her omni-tool to call Valerk. The call rang and rang but the turian never picked up. "Stay here. Don't move from this seat and don't talk to anyone." She ordered and Felina nodded her head.

Corvus made her way over to one of the heavily armed officers. She figured she was no longer part of the force but this grunt wouldn't know that so she reached in her leather Jacket and flashed her badge. "Detective Corvus. What's going on here?"

"You haven't heard?" The man asked.

"Clearly not. So what the hell is going on?"

"Some crazy asari shot up C-Sec. Killed thirteen officers. We got a report she might be in this area so Pallin called all strike forces here."

Marion's heart rate spiked. "An asari?"

"Yeah. Personally I hope i'm the one that gets her. Bitch killed two of my buddies."

"Do you know if Detective Valerk is alright?"

The human shook his head. "Sorry mam. He's dead."

Marion brought her free hand to her face and sighed. "Fuck." the Justicar had added another death that Marion was responsible for to an already too lengthy list. Turian or not, Valerk had been good to her. The news of his death stirred more grief in her than she would have guessed.

Marion tossed her smoke and began to run back to Felina's seat. Panic struck her when she found the asari's seat empty. "Oh shit." she muttered. Franticly she scanned the crowded concert hall looking for any sign of the girl's bandaged face. "Kid!" she called out realizing that wouldn't help. "Felina!" she tried again. She moved to a human sitting beside her. "Have you seen an asari with a bandaged face?"

"Huh?"

"It's not a hard question asshole! An asari with bandages around her head about 5 foot 9 wearing a white jacket."

"Calm down lady! I haven't seen any asari like that."

"Goddammit." Marion began running down the aisle looking for any sign of the girl. Then she saw her across the row being pulled forcibly by a turian security guard. Marion drew her pistol and began pawing through the civilian's seated between her and Felina.

"Stop!" Felina cried out.

"No ticket no seat." the guard said.

Marion sprinted to their side and aimed her gun. "Let the girl go now!" she demanded.

The turian immediately did as asked. "Spirits! Take her! I'm just doing my job human, you don't need to shoot me."

Felina scurried to Marion's side and Corvus holstered her gun as the turian ran off. "Are you alright?" Marion asked.

"I'm okay." Felina said running her fingers over the now tender flesh of her blue arm.

"Fuck kid. You scared me." Felina smiled under her bandages. "The justicar is coming."

Felina's smile vanished instantly. "W-What?"

"She shot up C-Sec and she killed my partner. Those officers are here to stop her and she's here to kill you."

"Shouldn't we be safe here then?"

Marion shook her head. "No. We need to get backstage and finish what we came here to do before this turns into a another bloodbath. I'm guessing the Justicar won't go quietly."

"Lead the way Detective."

"And don't leave my sight." Marion said and they made their way to the side stage door. A large elcor stood guard at the door.

"With indifference, do you have a backstage pass?" the elcor said.

Marion flashed her badge. "Let us in elcor."

"With indifference, I see a badge. Not a backstage pass."

Marion lifted her coat and showed the large alien her holstered gun. "There's my backstage pass. Let us in now."

"With mixed fear and frustration, fine. Just don't shoot me." the eclor stepped aside and Felina and Marion made their way backstage. Back out in the concert hall Marion heard the crowd cheering as Janellen Lepp made his way out on stage.

A crowd of Lepp's tour managers and other employees were all scurrying about. Marion caught the arm of an asari. "I'm looking for Caleb Toke."

The asari didn't pull her eyes from the datapad in her hands. She pointed to a door on the right side of the hall. "He's in there."

Marion moved inside the room and found a youthful looking human man. "Wondered when you two would show up."

"Did Von tell you the details?" Marion asked.

"Yeah the volus sent me everything I needed to know." The man brought up his omni-tool. "I'm sending you the authorization codes to a small transport vessel in docking bay D23. It's not the classiest of ships but it flies and it has accommodations. Should work fine. So what's the Shadow Broker want with her?" he asked but Marion ignored the question and left the man behind.

Corvus turned to Felina. "Okay, we need to get to the docks now and get off the Citadel."

"But Detective, Raila will only follow us."

"Good. I'm not having her massacre more cops to get to us. We need..." Marion's conversation was cut short when all of a sudden all power in the concert hall was cut shrouding the building in darkness. "Shit."

"Corvus?" Felina's voice called out into the darkness.

Corvus reached out and grabbed the girls hand. "I'm here. We need to get you out of here now."

"She's here isn't she."

Out in the concert hall Marion heard the crowd scream. Perhaps because of the confusion brought on by the lack of power but then she heard gunfire.

**Elysium 2162 **

Marion's stomach was filled with butterflies as the transport ship docked at the travel port on Elysium. It had been a year since she'd been on the planet and more importantly a year since her week with Sarah. In truth she was terrified Sarah would be nowhere to be seen. She had sent her a message when she got shore leave but had received no reply.

There hadn't been a day since she last saw the blonde that Marion didn't think about her. She knew she had built her up in her mind to help deal with her loneliness, how could she have expected a woman who knew her for a week to wait a year for her.

Marion sighed and rose from her seat and began moving into the terminal with little hope of finding the woman waiting for her. The passengers of the ship funneled out into the crowded terminal and Marion looked around hoping desperately to see her face. But her fears were confirmed, she wasn't there.

Marion sat down on a nearby bench. The crowd thinned out and Marion took one last look and thats when she saw her. Sarah stood alone looking at people's faces as they exited the ship. Corvus smiled and rose to her feet. At first she was walking but quickly began to sprint towards the blonde. Sarah had her back to her by the time she had made her way to her.

Marion softly reached out and spun her around. Sarah's face lit up and she instantly wrapped her arms around Corvus and kissed her. They separated and Marion saw the blonde had tears in her eyes. She pulled her close again and Marion wrapped her strong arms around her as she had one year prior. And she never wanted to let her go.

* * *

**Notes- **** Sorry i'm posting a little late again. But I'm still committed to a chapter a day. The thing is i'm also writing these chapters the day i'm posting them. I'm curious as to how you guys like Sarah and Marion? Tell me in the reviews. **


	9. Benezia's Goodbye

Chapter 9

**Thessia 2121**

Felina was young for an asari but was not naive enough to misunderstand what was going on. Every asari child learned of the Ardat-Yakshi, a disorder which turned ordinary girls into hungry predators who feasted off their mates. They were cautionary tales of a sort, utilized to teach the young of the dangers of joining with those they didn't trust. But Felina had always believed them to be a myth. Today she learned otherwise.

She saw the way the doctor looked at her when she told her the news. A mix of fear and disgust, it had already started. People no longer saw a sweet young girl but a monster. She knew her life would never be the same again.

She sat alone in her room with tears running down her face. Terrified of what came next. She didn't know what they did to monsters like her but she knew she would find out soon enough.

Goddess, the way her mother looked at her was the worst of it all. Aquilla had always been a cruel parent who Felina had struggled her whole life to make proud. But when her mother heard the news she looked upon her with an unmistakable disappointment. On the ride back home Aquilla said only one thing to her. "You are no daughter of mine."

Felina sobbed into her hands but pried her face up when she heard her door open and Matriarch Benezia made her way inside.

"Father!" Felina cried out and ran to embrace her. Benezia wrapped her arms around Felina. "It's not true. Please tell me it's not true. Goddess, it cant be."

"I know child." Benezia said. "I know."

Felina looked up to her father. "You're here to help me?"

Benezia's eyes filled with sorrow. "There's nothing I can do Felina."

Felina buried her face in Benezia's shoulder. "No! I know you can. Please!"

"I came to say goodbye."

"Goodbye?"

Benezia sighed and separated from the girl. "Felina, there's no treatment for an Ardat-Yakshi." Felina's lower lip quivered and she blinked back more tears. "Your mother does not wish for you to be sent into seclusion."

"I don't want to be sent away!" Felina cried. "I want to stay here! We're going to visit the Citadel together remember?"

"I'm afraid that isn't going to happen anymore."

"I'm just sick! I didn't do anything wrong!"

"I'm sorry but there's only one thing we can do." Benezia sighed again. This was even harder than she had imagined. "They're sending a Justicar to see you."

"A Justicar?" Every young asari dreamed of meeting a Justicar and Felina was no different. "She'll help me?"

"She's going to fix this."

"How? You said..." then it dawned on Felina when she remembered what Justicars would do to the Ardat-Yakshis in those cautionary tales. "No! No you can't! Don't let them father!"

"It's the only way."

Felina's legs suddenly felt weak and she dropped to her knees and sobbed uncontrollably. "Please!" She cried out again but she saw it in her Father's face. There was nothing more that could be done.

Benezia leaned down and hugged her daughter. "You've always made me proud Felina."

"You can't just leave me!" Felina could hardly breath. Benezia rose to her feet and made for the door and Felina desperately reached after her.

"Goodbye." Benezia said and closed the door behind her.

Felina scrambled to her feet to run after her but found her door locked. Her heart was beating out of her chest. She was about to die. Her mother would have her executed like an animal simply because of her genes. For a moment she gave up and collapsed to the floor. But then she was overcome with a powerful need to survive. There was so much left for her to live for. She refused to die like this.

She ran to her window and looked outside. It was a two story drop but she saw no one outside. She didn't have time to be afraid of the fall she opened her window and dangled her legs out first before pushing herself off the ledge and plummeting to the ground.

She hit with a hard smack and felt her left leg break with a loud snap sending a massive wave of pain surging through her. She bit down on her arm to muffle of cries of pain. She couldn't stop here. She gritted her teeth and she rose to her feet putting her weight on her right leg and dragging her broken left behind her as she made her way to her mother's skycar and got inside. She started the engine and took off as fast as she could. Her leg stung with pain so she would need to treat the fracture before stopping at the bank of Serrice.

The joint bank account her mother had founded in both their names for Felina's future was about the receive an extreme withdrawal of all its funds. If her mother had no problem sentencing her to death, she had no problem robbing her.

* * *

Felina tighten her hold on Marion's hand. "Miss Corvus, what do we do?"

Corvus spotted a back exit in the darkness. She lead Felina to it and found it sealed. The power outage had also cut power to all doors in the concert hall. "The only way I know out of here is the way we came in."

"And if that is sealed too?"

"Then I'll figure something else out. We have to move quickly." Marion lead her to the backstage entrance and found the Elcor's body in a heap on the ground. A victim of the crossfire. Gunshots still rang out in the darkness briefly illuminating the pavilion with their muzzle flashes until a single powerful shot would ring out and silence the terrified and confused C-Sec officers. One by one the officers fell to the Justicar as she moved between her targets unseen.

Corvus drew her pistol and extended the barrel. Slowly they made their way up to the exit with Felina at her back using the rows of seats as cover.

Out in the darkness Corvus heard Raila call out. "Enough Felina! I have taken too many lives in this pursuit. Do not let their deaths be in vain. Your human companion cannot protect you from me. Let us end this!"

Felina's grip tightened even more on Marion's hand and Corvus looked back and saw the terror in her eyes. "Make your way to the exit as quickly and as quietly as you can. Wait for my go and then get out of here." She whispered.

"What about you?" Felina asked.

"I'll meet you at the docking bay. Now get the hell out of here."

Felina nodded and began to make her way to the exit.

"I take it you're the same asari bitch who killed Detective Valerk!" Corvus called out into the dark.

"I assume I'm speaking with Marion Corvus." Raila shouted back.

"Tell me Justicar how do you justify all the damage you've done to murder one innocent girl!"

"Felina's innocence died long ago. She isn't what you believe her to be Detective. I had no desire to kill Valerk. But he gave me no choice. The others did not as well."

"Bullshit!"

"Tell me Marion, what do you really know about her?"

"I know enough to know she doesn't deserve this!"

"Don't be so naive Detective. Would I do all of this without a good reason?"

"There's no reason good enough!"

"Trust me I wish there was another way. I admire the girl greatly. But there is no other choice." She said." There will come a day when she betrays you. She won't be able to help herself."

"The girl's not what you think she is."

Raila shook her head. "I wish that were true. But unfortunately Felina is exactly what I think she is. Give her to me. Do not force me to kill you as well."

Marion hovered her finger over her trigger. "That's not gonna happen!" Corvus popped out of cover and opened fire into the dark. Raila dived into cover as Felina scrambled to the exit. The Justicar saw Felina illuminated by the outside light as the girl made her escape. Raila threw a shockwave at Corvus that flung Marion hard against the side wall and the Justicar opened fire and made chase after her target.

Corvus scrambled to her feet and aimed her weapon. Marion fired into Raila's back and sent the Justicar crashing to the ground. Her barrier had taken the majority of the hit but Raila wouldn't underestimate the human again. She shot to her feet and fired a barrage of bullets at Marion. One skimmed the flesh of Corvus's right arm. Marion gritted her teeth as she made her way towards the exit while unleashing suppressing fire on Raila's position.

Corvus spotted the corpse of a C-Sec officer illuminated from the outside light and snatched the grenade on his belt as she moved past him. Marion primed the explosive and tossed the disc at the Justicar. Raila was only able to just escape the lethal blast zone but was propelled back allowing Marion enough time to escape.

Outside a crowd had gathered from the civilians who had evacuated the concert. Marion put pressure on her bleeding arm and began to run towards the docking bay when all of a sudden Felina came running towards her. "Dammit Blue I said to get to the ship!"

"I couldn't leave you." Felina said.

"We have to run!"

Together the human and the asari pawed through the crowd as shot began to ring out behind them. Raila was back on her feet and giving chase. The Justicar fired in the air to disperse the crowd sending the civilians screaming and running in every which way.

Tayseri's docks were not far away. They might just make it if they could run fast enough Marion thought. Then a bullet zoomed past her ear and Marion grabbed Felina and forced her into an alley way for cover.

"Stop running Felina! You only prolong the inevitable."Raila screamed.

Then Marion heard a familiar sound. Sirens. C-Sec skycars began to descend on the scene and Raila looked up at her new targets and readied her gun. From behind a squad of a dozen more men aimed their weapons at Riala. Marion didn't waste the opportunity and grabbed Felina and they sprinted towards the docks leaving Raila behind shouting Felina's name as the officers moved in.

Raila spun around and opened fired at the squad and the officers returned fire. Their hits struck and drained the Justicar's shields and barriers as she made her escape. A bullet had even managed to pierce her stomach and Raila put pressure on the wound as she channeled all the biotic energy she could into a massive flare that she threw at the squad of a dozen.

The men were thrown back by the powerful explosion but the C-Sec cars swooped down and fresh officers joined the hunt. Raila knew she had lost the battle. Felina had escaped her grasp again. Now she had to escape the station alive before she could continue her pursuit.

* * *

Felina and Marion made their way inside the ship Barla Von had procured for them. It wasn't the biggest vessel Corvus had seen but it could jump a relay and it had two beds and a stockpile of supplies such as food already aboard.

Marion took a moment to catch her breath but her moment was cut short when Felina embraced her in a tight hug. "You did it!"Marion rolled her eyes and wrapped one arm around the asari. Felina kissed her on the cheek. "Nobody has ever stood up for me like that. Thank you!"

Corvus gently pushed the girl away. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Thanks to you."

Marion wiped her cheek dry. "Good. We need to get the fuck off this station" She said as she made her way to the cockpit and powered up the ships engines. Felina took a seat next to her and watched in silence as Marion brought the ship out of dock. "You know the coordinates for this safe haven of yours?"

"Yes."

"Then enter them in the navigation's system and we can be on our way." Felina did as asked. "You are shitting me."

"What?"

"Kid, this is in the Attican Traverse. It could take us months to get there in a ship like this."

"But what about Mass Relays?"

"Even with the relays the journey is gonna take a while." Marion sighed.

"You...you won't take me?"

Corvus cocked her head to the side. "I said I would didn't I? I guess we're gonna be stuck with each other for a little longer than I anticipated."

"I-I don't mind. It will be nice to have company for once."

Marion had to admit she agreed.

* * *

**Notes-** Late posting again but this one took a while. I'm slowing things down again and i'm gonna be focusing on some character stuff for the next few chapters. This isn't the last we've heard from Raila.

Next time- A flashback to Marion and Sarah, Felina and Marion bond.


	10. Marion Opens Up

Chapter 10

**Elysium 2162**

Marion and Sarah had spent one month together. At first Corvus had been terrified that the woman would get tired of her but her fears were never realized. With every passing day the two women grew even closer. Corvus had never met anyone who she had connected with so deeply, she never thought she would. But it was almost as if Sarah was made for her.

Every morning she woke with the blonde by her side and every night she fell asleep in her arms. She didn't know if a woman like her deserved someone like Sarah but Marion had never been happier.

Sarah stirred in her sleep and turned over to find Marion still awake. "What's wrong baby? You can't sleep?"

"Got something on my mind."

Sarah sat up and rested her tired head on Marion's shoulder. "Tell me about it."

"I have to go back in a few days."

"I know."

Marion took Sarah's hand in her own. "Sarah, the last month has been...I don't even know how I could tell you how much it's meant to me. Or how much you mean to me."

Sarah woke up a bit more. "Are you alright Marion?"

"This is my last tour. When I get back we can be together for real. Are you...well do you want that?"

"More than anything." Marion smiled and kissed her on the cheek and leaned her head on top of Sarah's. "Well I'm wide awake now so why don't we do something fun." Corvus chuckled and reached for the girl's shirt but Sarah wiggled out of bed. "Not that." She giggled.

"Okay. Then what?"

"Get up." Sarah ordered in a cheery voice.

Corvus did as commanded and made her way over to her lover. Both women wore only t-shits and panties but to Marion, Sarah always looked beautiful. "What now?"

Sarah offered her hand to the taller woman. "Dance with me."

Marion laughed. "I don't dance. Don't exactly know how."

"Neither do I."

She sighed and took the blonde's hand. "Don't we need music to dance?"

"Says who?" Sarah replied.

Together they moved in awkward harmony as Corvus's two left feet tried their best to dance. Then Sarah pulled her in and they bounced to their imaginary beat in a close embrace. Sarah ran her fingers through Marion's brown hair.

"I love you." Marion blurted out. When the blonde didn't respond Corvus began to wish she could take it back but then Sarah pulled away from her and Marion saw there were tears in her eyes.

"I love you too." Sarah said and kissed her just like she had for the first time.

* * *

Corvus blew smoke out the side of her mouth and ran her fingers over her tattoo. They had been flying for almost a week and Marion was growing restless, as was Felina.

"Corvus?"

Marion pinched her smoke between her index and thumb and removed the cigarette from her lips before she turned to address the asari. "Yeah Blue?"

"How long before we stop?"

Corvus sighed and looked at the navigation systems. "We can dock tomorrow in the Eagle Nebula on Korlus. Not the friendliest of planets but we should be able to refuel and stretch our legs. Maybe even grab a drink."

"Alright."

They sat in silence again before Marion spoke up again. "Sorry I'm not very good company."

"I like having you around." Felina said.

Corvus took another drag. "Yeah?"

"I've been alone longer than you've been alive. It hasn't always been easy. Well I suppose it's never been easy. I very much enjoy having a friend to share my time with."

Marion narrowed her eyes. "I don't have friends kid."

"You don't like me?"

Corvus rubbed her eyes. "I didn't say that. But I make it a habit to not get close with people anymore."

"How can you just shut yourself away like that?"

"Easier than you might think."

"I don't understand it." They were silent again before Felina tried to stimulate conversation again. "What are you afraid of?"

"What's with the questions? All you do is ask me fucking questions."

Felina dipped her head. "I apologize. I-I was just trying to get to know you."

Marion sighed. "I know, I'm sorry. I just don't like talking about myself."

"I understand that." Corvus took another drag and Felina spoke up again. "I'm afraid I'll always be alone. Girls with my disorder, they're little more than monsters to my people. You can't imagine what it's like to be judged before people ever get to know you. My own mother was no different." Marion remained silent and blew smoke out her nose. "You were a mother weren't you?"

Corvus spun towards the asari. "Off limits."

"Not talking about things doesn't mean they didn't happen Miss Corvus."

"Kid, you don't want to go down this path."

"You can't blame yourself. I'm sure it wasn't your fault."

"You don't know shit." The human said and rose from her seat and made her way into the small bunkhouse.

Felina sighed and sat alone in the cockpit for another hour before retiring to her own bed. She found Corvus under her covers with her back to her when she stepped into the bunkhouse. Felina shut off the lights and settled into her own bunk. She laid awake for a few minutes before Marion's spoke out into the darkness.

"The truth is I never wanted to be a parent. My own mother died when I was four back on Earth. After that my father raised me with alcohol and his fists. It was Sarah that wanted to have a kid. I didn't know the first thing about raising a son. I could hardly look after myself without Sarah. But Daniel, he was smart, everything amazed him and he was the most beautiful little boy." Marion paused. "And I'm never gonna see either of them again. Real pain isn't what makes you bleed. It's knowing what happiness is and that you'll never feel it again."

Felina felt tears sting in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's my own damn fault."

* * *

**Notes-** Sorry for the short chapter. I promise no questions will be left as to what happened to Sarah and Daniel. Next time Marion and Felina visit Korlus.


	11. Felina's Urges

**Chapter 11**

**Thessia 2125**

Four years. That's how long Felina had been on the run. Only now was she beginning to get used to having to move around so often. Never having the chance to relax, or the freedom to enjoy much of anything. The loneliness was getting to her. She missed her friends, she missed Benezia in a way she missed her mother. All people who wouldn't think twice about turning her in to the Justicar if she went to them for help.

That was the hardest part of it all. Everyone had abandoned her and the only person she could rely on was herself. Some days she toyed with the idea of letting Raila catch her, or simply ending her own life all together. But she couldn't do it. For some reason she was driven to survive another day.

Tonight was just another night Felina couldn't sleep. She decided to risk going out and found herself at the only establishment she could find open a small bar sparsely populated in the early hours of the morning.

Felina walked up to the bar and the asari behind the counter moved to serve her. "Can I get you a drink?"

"Do you have tea?" Felina asked meekly.

"This is a bar."

Felina glanced to her right and saw a strikingly beautiful asari with a purple drink in her hand. "I'll have whatever that is." she said pointing to the woman's glass.

The bartender began to prepare her drink and the woman at the end of the bar smiled at Felina. "Excellent choice." she said.

"T-Thank you." Felina took a seat and the woman moved next to her.

"What brings a pretty girl like you to a place like this at this hour?"

Felina felt the need to be honest. "I'm lonely."

The woman chuckled. "Well i'll let you in on a secret." she leaned in close. "I'm lonely too." she whispered. The bartender served Felina her drink and as she went to pay for it her new companion did it for her. "It's on me." she said.

"Thank you." Felina muttered.

"Why so shy? A girl as beautiful as you doesn't have anything to be shy about." Felina remained silent and sipped on her drink. "I wouldn't usually do this but it's early in the morning, I'm drunk and you're the sexiest thing i've seen all week. How bout I take you home and we can drink in private."

Felina felt a familiar feeling creep into her. An urge she had spent the last four years trying to suppress. It was a strange sort of arousal mixed with a burning pain that made every fabric of her being scream out to find release. When she started out it had been easier to control, but the more she denied it the more it stung. Usually her own fingers could quell her needs to a certain point. It was the only defense she had. But tonight she doubted masturbating would do anything to stop the building hunger within her.

"N-No T-Tha-ank you." she stuttered out.

"Come on." the asari's hand found it's way on Felina's thigh. "I promise you'll enjoy yourself."

That was exactly what Felina was afraid of. "No." Felina said sternly. A hot flash of arousal burned within her and she scrambled to her feet and ran out of the bar leaving the beautiful asari behind.

It had started to rain sometime after she entered the bar and a torrential downpour drenched the young asari. She winced as the pain continued to fill her and tears streamed from her eyes and mixed in with the rain drops that splashed on her face.

* * *

**Korlus 2170**

Marion brought the ship into dock and after eight long days of space travel the human and Felina would finally have a chance to breath some fresh air. Well as fresh as the air on Korlus got. The entire planet wasn't much more than a giant garbage dump where low life criminals and the general scum of the galaxy resided.

Corvus was getting dressed as Felina wrapped her bandages around her scarred face. "I've never been to Korlus. Will it be safe?" the asari asked.

"Probably not. It has one of the highest murder rates in the galaxy." Corvus strapped on her holster. "But if you stick close to me you'll be alright."

"You've visited places like this before?"

"I was a marine. Saw places a lot worse than Korlus in the Alliance."

"Is that where you got your scars? In the Alliance?"

Marion shrugged on her brown leather jacket. "Some of them." she said as she brushed her hair back behind her ears.

They disembarked and were greeted by an overly eager salarian. "Will you be needing any services?" the salarian said.

"Refueling." Corvus said before she shoved past the salarian.

Felina followed close behind Corvus as they moved into a small city hub. "Where are we going now?"

"I was stationed on Korlus for a month a long time ago. Only place we can get a drink is in town."

"A bar?"

"Strip club." Corvus clarified. "I was in a squad of mostly men. Three guesses where they wanted to spend most of our nights off. But the drinks were good. Here's hoping the dancers got better looking."

"Oh..." Felina's heart rate quickened. "Perhaps we should stay with the ship."

"Nah, I need a drink. I'll even buy you one too."

Felina reluctantly followed. The club seemed to be the most popular spot in the entire city. All different races of the galaxy populated the dimly lit building from krogan to batarians. She paused for a moment, unsure of how to handle herself among such intimidating looking patrons but Marion gently pressed her forward.

"Don't worry kid. I'm not gonna let anyone here hurt you." Marion promised. "We'll kill some time here and then we can be on our way again."

"I don't like this place Detective." Felina said.

"Well you better get used to it. We're gonna be going through the Terminus Systems. This is about as friendly as it gets." Marion strolled up to the bar and ordered a whiskey as she lit a smoke.

Felina kept her hands folded and in her lap as she sat next to her. She shut her eyes when she saw a topless asari stroll up to them. "Can I interest either of you two in a dance?" the stripper asked.

Marion rolled her eyes and blew smoke. "I'm alright. But my partner here looks like she needs to loosen up." Corvus jabbed her thumb in the direction of Felina.

"No!" Felina blurted out a bit too harshly making both the stripper and Marion stare wide eyed at the bandaged asari.

"Well you girls know where to find me." the stripper said and moved away.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Marion asked.

Felina twitched as the urge began to creep into her. She had gone so long without an incident but now her fingers began to feel tingly and the burning pain started up. "We need to leave." Felina said weakly.

Marion took a sip of her drink. "Why?"

"I need to get out of here." Felina's eyes found another dancer on the center stage and she shut them hard but almost everywhere she looked she found a naked dancer.

"Are you alright?" Marion's voice sounded genuinely concerned.

Felina winced. "No."

"What's wrong?"

Felina began to move for the exit and Marion left her drink behind to follow. "Hey! Wait!" she called from behind.

The asari stumbled into a batarian who shoved her back causing Felina to crash to the ground. "Watch where you're going!" the batarian barked.

Corvus was between them in an instant and shoved the batarain back even harder causing the alien to topple over a nearby table spilling a tray of drinks. "Fuck you!" Corvus shouted and kicked the batarian as he stumbled to his feet sending him crashing back to the ground. "Don't lay your hands on her you four eyed piece of shit!"

The batarian rose to his feet and towered over the six foot woman. "A human and an asari. It must be my lucky day."

Marion rolled up her sleeves. "Funny, I was thinking something similar."

The batarian threw the first punch and Marion dodged the attack easily before countering with a powerful jab to the alien's ribs. Her attacker stumbled back and retaliated with a punch to the gut that connected, knocking the wind out of Marion. Corvus gasped for air as the batarian raised both fists above his head. Marion lurched towards him and tackled the enraged man to the ground and brought her fists back to pummel his face once she landed on top of him. Eventually the batarian went limp and Marion climbed to her feet rubbing the raw skin on her knuckles.

Corvus extended her hand to Felina and pulled the girl to her feet. "Did he hurt you?"

Felina was in pain but it had nothing to do with the batarian. Watching the human defend her fed a growing attraction she was beginning to feel towards the detective. And Felina couldn't allow herself to hurt the only friend she's made in 50 years. Or whatever it was she and Marion were. But she couldn't help noticing how beautiful Marion was.

"I'm alright." Felina said.

"Come on let's get you out of here." Marion turned back to the unconscious batarian and saw one of his friends trying his best to look intimidating as he glared at her. "You want me to kick your ass too?" she asked and the batarian backed off.

The outside smelled like garbage but it was better than being inside the club. Felina's stomach tightened as the pain intensified. It hurt even more than usual. Felina buried her face in her hands.

Marion sighed. "Shit." awkwardly she placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Kid, I'm sorry I took you in there." she said. "What happened in there? Before the batarian I mean."

"Just a side effect of my disorder. I'll be alright. Thank you for protecting me in there."

"It's what you're paying me to do."

"Still, thank you."

"Whatever." Corvus said and began to lead the asari back to their ship.

* * *

After Marion brought the ship out of dock and they had left Korlus far behind Felina found herself calming down. The pain had subsided some. But the way Corvus had made her feel back in the strip club was concerning. Felina knew how dangerous it was for her to be attracted to someone but she also knew she couldn't survive without Marion. If it wasn't for the human Raila would have killed her for sure back on the Citadel. And she was in no hurry to return to a life of solitude.

She'd just have to find a way to get over it. But the human made that particular effort difficult when she entered the bunkhouse after returning from the ship's shower dripping wet. Mercifully Corvus had a towel wrapped around her torso but Felina still admired the way Marion's muscular arms flexed as she dried her shoulder length hair. The asari turned her back to the woman.

Marion dropped the towel to the ground and changed into a fresh set of clothes. "Sorry there isn't much room for privacy between us on a ship this small."

"It's alright."

"Usually I can't get you to shut up. What's up with you?"

"I'm fine."

"If you say so. We don't stop again until Illium. Could take us a few weeks." Felina didn't say anything. "You...wanna talk about something?" Marion asked awkwardly.

"Not right now. Actually do you mind giving me some privacy in here?"

Marion brushed her wet hair behind her ears. "Sure." and with that she left for the room and closed the door behind her.

Marion found her way to the helmsman's chair in the cockpit and lit a smoke as she looked out the view port into the endless expanses of space. When Marion was a little girl on Earth she used to dream of going to the stars. Now here she was a fully grown woman flying a space ship with an alien keeping her company. When she really stopped to think about it the whole thing sounded ridiculous.

Marion took a long drag and ran her fingers along the L shaped scar carved in her cheek. Maybe that dip shit psychiatrist C-Sec had ordered her to see had one thing right. She wasn't doing herself any favors dwelling on the past. But after what she did she didn't deserve to move on. There wasn't any redemption to be found for her. She pushed the doctor's words from her mind and took another drag. Then she heard a low moan coming from the bunks. She rose to her feet and scrambled to the door before she heard it again. It didn't sound as though the asari was in pain as she first assumed and it only took her half a second longer to figure out what Felina was doing. And a strange feeling stirred within Marion.

* * *

**Notes- **I promise these two character building chapters were a necessary evil for what comes later. Next time we catch up with our heroes will be a little later down the road. Check for the new chapter tomorrow like always.


	12. Bad Dreams

Chapter 12

**The Citadel- 2164**

Marion looked down into the crib at the baby boy inside. She couldn't remember how long she had been standing over the sleeping child but she was taken out of her trance when she felt Sarah's breasts press against her back and her arms loop around her waist. "He's beautiful." Sarah said.

"Yeah."

Sarah planted a kiss on Marion's neck. "Are you alright baby?"

"I guess I'm...scared. I wanna do this with you, raise a child. But I don't know shit about being a parent. What if I fuck it up? It's not just me that will suffer from my mistakes anymore."

"You'll be a wonderful parent. I don't know how many times I need to tell you Marion, you're a good woman. Much better than you give yourself credit for. And there's nobody else in the galaxy I'd rather have by my side for this."

Marion spun around and took Sarah in her arms. "I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't found you. I never thought I'd be the kinda girl who got married." Marion said as she lifted Sarah's hand and planted a kiss on her wedding ring. "Or raised a kid. Or amounted to anything really. If I hadn't met you I would have given up long ago."

"I wouldn't be here today if you hadn't found me. Whatever challenges come our way in the future we'll face them together."

Marion smiled. "Together. I like the sound of that."

Sarah hugged her wife. "I love you."

"Love you too."

"Promise me something?" Sarah said.

"Anything."

"Never give up. No matter what. I know life hasn't always been easy for you. And I can't promise it won't be hard for you again. But you have to promise me you won't give up. Because this galaxy needs women like you. Even when everything seems like it's lost you'll find something to live for. You've taught me that. So promise me."

"I promise."

* * *

**Illium **

Marion laughed harder than she had in a long time as Felina hacked and coughed and handed the cigarette back to her. "Goddess, Marion, how can you smoke those?" she asked.

"I guess they're not for everyone." Marion said as she returned the cigarette to her own lips. It had been over a month since the veiled asari first came into Marion's life. It had been a month of boring days drifting in open space with nothing to do but talk to each other. And the pair had spent more than their fair share of time on Illium since arriving on the asari world close to a week ago. "Tell me Blue, have you given any more thought on what you're gonna do when this is over? We've been traveling for a while now."

"Have you?"

Marion ashed her cigarette. "What do you mean?"

"When you're done protecting me. A-Are you just going to go back to the Citadel?"

"No. I'm never going back to the Citadel."

"Then where will you go?"

"Not sure." she said. "We should get back to the ship. It's getting late."

Felina nodded her head and followed Marion out of the cafe. Night had already fallen on Illium but the city lights almost made it hard to notice. Marion made her way to a nearby guard rail and looked down at the traffic below before taking a moment to admire the cityscape. "Kinda pretty here." she said.

"It's beautiful. I like it here." Felina said.

"Me too."

Felina moved closer to the human. "Marion..."

"Yeah?"

"If I asked you to stay with me. Would you?"

Marion didn't answer. Felina watched the wind blow through her brown hair as the human flicked her cigarette off the ledge. "Let's get going." she said and left the asari behind.

Felina trailed behind her protector with her head hung low. One month she had spent with Marion and still she didn't know what she meant to the human. But Felina knew she cared for Marion more than she should. Some nights Corvus would tell her about life in the Alliance or a case she worked on the Citadel. And Felina would tell her about life on the run. The urges came and went but Felina had been able to manage them so far. They weren't what worried her most, even Raila had moved from her thoughts. Felina worried that once all this was over that Marion would be like everyone else in her life and leave her.

Felina froze when she turned the corner and saw a squadron of soldiers wearing white armor with glowing red eyes all rallied behind a slim looking human male in a suit. Corvus grabbed Felina's hand. "Stay behind me." she ordered.

The slim man approached them. "Detective Corvus?" he said.

"Who the fuck is asking?" Marion demanded.

"I'm operative Morat. I work as an agent of the Shadow Broker."

Marion took two steps back from the men. "So?"

Morat chuckled. "I'm afraid we have some business to take care of."

Marion reached for her gun but stopped when the armored troops pointed their rifles at her. "I'm afraid you're mistaken. So why don't you fuck off."

Morat sighed. "Please don't make this any more difficult than it has to be."

"How'd you find us?"

"Did you really think the Shadow Broker would provide you with a ship he couldn't find the location of in an instant?"

Marion took another step back and Felina began to cling on to her. "What the hell do you want?"

"We want the girl. The situation with Matriarch Aquilla has changed and the Shadow Broker needs to bring the girl in."

"That's not gonna fucking happen!" Marion snapped and drew her gun.

The operative shook his head. "I'm sorry Detective. It already has."

Marion began to feel dizzy and her pistol dropped from her hand. She turned around to find Felina already unconscious on the ground. "Shit." she muttered and fell beside her before everything went black.

* * *

**The Citadel- 2167 **

Like most nights Marion couldn't sleep. She rolled over and looked upon her wife. Sarah even looked beautiful asleep, Marion reached out and softly brushed her blonde hair back from her freckled face. Then Marion heard a quiet sniffling coming from the neighboring bedroom.

Marion shot out of bed and put on a pair of pants before stepping out of her bedroom. The apartment was dark and Corvus gently pushed her son's bedroom door open. "Daniel?" she called out into the dark.

"Mom?" The child's voice replied.

"Mom is asleep. Are you alright?" Marion made her way to the child's bed and knelt down beside it.

"I had a bad dream."

"Oh. Well it was just a dream." Daniel remained silent and tears still rolled down his face. "Hey you know I have bad dreams too sometimes. It's just something that happens." Marion was startled when the boy wrapped his tiny arms around her neck and buried his face in her shoulder. "Oh uh...it's alright." Marion said and patted the boy on the back. "Why don't you tell me about this bad dream."

"There was a big krogan that was chasing me and I couldn't get away."

Marion felt the boys tears soak through her shirt. "You know krogan aren't that scary."

"Yes they are!"

"One time I beat up a big krogan all by myself."

"Really? Why?"

"Because he was a...bad guy." She doubted the boy would understand that he was a notorious slaver kidnaping human colonists. "And I tell you what if any krogan was chasing after you he'd have to be running pretty fast to get away from me before I kicked his As...butt too. I wouldn't let anything happen to you. I promise. Why don't you go back to sleep."

"I don't wanna go back to sleep...I'm scared."

Corvus sighed. "Alright." she lifted the boy into her arms and brought him into the living room before setting him down on the couch and turning on the vidscreen. She sat a cushion away from the boy but soon he had crawled next to her. Marion wrapped her arm around her son and together they watched a vidshow in silence.

After a while Marion spoke up. "I love you." she said but the child had already fallen asleep leaning against her. She smiled and turned off the vidscreen. Not wanting to risk waking him up again she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

**Notes- Since we're about half way through this series I wanted to thank everyone for reading and reviewing. New Chapter coming tomorrow and Felina and Marion are in trouble. **


	13. The Shadow Broker

Chapter 13

**The Citadel- 2168 **

It was later than usual for Marion to be returning from work. In all her years on the force she doubted she had encountered a more difficult day. As she climbed the stairs up to her apartment she looked forward to seeing Sarah's face.

Quietly she opened the door and made her way inside careful to not wake up Daniel. Ordinarily the boy would greet her by running into her arms, another reminder she didn't see her son as often as she should. But there was always love in the way the child clung on to her and asked her about her day and any "bad guys" that she caught. But returning home this late meant the boy was long asleep.

She let out a sigh of relief when she saw Sarah relaxing on their couch in front of the vidscreen. Her wife looked up at her and smiled. "Hey baby." She greeted her. Marion smiled back and shedded her brown leather jacket and holster, letting them fall to the ground as she made her way next to her lover and collapsed on the sofa. Marion rested her head in Sarah's lap and the blonde lovingly stroked her brown hair. "Long day?"

"You could say that. I missed you two so badly today. I'm sorry I got home so late."

"He didn't want to go to bed until you got home."

"Not exactly making me feel better." Marion said.

"Sorry." Sarah leaned down and Marion met her halfway and they shared a quick kiss. "Does that help?"

"More than words could say."

Sarah continued to stroke Marion's hair. "Tell me about this day of yours."

"You remember that sack of shit I told you about?"

"Krill Lambert?"

"That's the sack of shit I'm referring to."

"What about him?"

"After the Lt. put me in charge of his case I've been working non-stop on it."

"So i've noticed. Daniel isn't the only one missing you."

"I know baby. I promise all three of us can go away together soon and finally make up for lost time."

"I'd like that. Okay so what was it you were saying about this so called sack of shit?"

Marion chuckled. Something about hearing Sarah curse always made her laugh. "Well today we finnaly made an arrest. And this time nobody is getting him out."

"Marion, that's great!"

"Yeah, felt good to finally slap the cuffs on that scumbag."

"I'm happy for you." Sarah said.

"You know what after tommorow I'm gonna take the day off. And we can spend the whole day together just like we used to."

* * *

**Unknown Location **

Marion awoke without any clue as to where she was. Unable to see through the bag over her head and only able to hear the footsteps of two large figures who were dragging her to an unknown destination.

Corvus's head ached and let out a groan as her senses started to return. Questions ran through her head. Where was she? Why was she still alive? But most importantly where was Felina? Suddenly her feet where lifted up and she was thrown to the ground.

She heard a door close and sensed she was alone so she removed the bag over her head. She scanned her surroundings. A small steel cell with nothing occupying the room but herself and a bucket which she didn't need to guess the use for.

Marion had been held captive before and had been lucky to escape with her life. But Corvus knew just as well as any other C-Sec officer the kind of power and influence the Shadow Broker had. Being his captive did not bode well for her future.

A wave of nausea crashed over her and Marion crawled over to the bucket and vomited inside. A side effect of whatever the Broker's men used to drug her she guessed. It wasn't bad enough that she was being held captive but now she had to sit in a tiny cell smelling her own throw up. Things weren't exactly going her way.

Marion shot to her feet when the cell's door slid open and Operative Morat stepped inside with his hands folded behind his back. "Detective." he greeted her.

"Shut the hell up. Where's the girl?" Corvus demanded.

"Felina is none of your concern."

"I'm not gonna ask you again."

Morat laughed. "Miss Corvus, you're in no position to be making demands."

"Let me see her."

The man shook his head. "If I was you I'd be more concerned with my own situation before the asari."

"Well you're not me."

Morat chuckled. "I suppose I'm not."

"Why am I still alive?"

"Now you're asking the right questions. The Broker sees potential in you and he's always in the market for new operatives like myself. Word to wise it's best not to disappoint him."

"And why does he see potential in me?"

"You took on an asari Justicar and lived. Even I can't make a claim that bold. And your dossier made for quite the read."

"The Broker has a dossier on me?"

"The Shadow Broker has a dossier on everyone. Even your late wife Sarah. I'd wager I know your wife just as well as you did." Marion clenched her fists. "Settle down Detective. I didn't mean anything by it. It is quite unfortunate what happened, you must feel terrible."

"Mention my wife one more time and I will beat you to death." Marion growled.

"Now that's a threat that most women couldn't follow through with. But you're not most women. I have to say I'm a bit of a fan. You're work in the Alliance is the stuff of legend. It must be difficult never receiving credit for any of it."

"I didn't join the Alliance to get appreciation."

Morat smirked and shook his head. "You are a fascinating woman. You know what I don't get?" he waited for a response but Marion never gave him one. "I don't get how a woman like you ends up protecting an Ardat-Yakshi."

"Where is she?"

The operative let out a frustrated grunt. "The girl is safe. Well relatively safe. You may see her soon. I ask that you focus on this."

"And what the hell is _this_? A job interview? Let me save your time, the answer is no." Corvus said.

"No, isn't really an option. But I can tell you're in no mood to talk, so let's say we continue this in a few hours...or days." Morat walked out of the cell and locked the door behind him.

* * *

Felina awoke when her head struck the ground. She scrambled to her feet and found herself in a dark room with a blinding spotlight shining on her. "What is this?" She cried out. "Marion!"

"Detective Corvus will not be coming to help you." A deep disembodied voice called from the shadows.

"Who are you?"

"I'm here to ask you some questions. It would be in your best interest to answer them honestly."

"Q-Questions? I-I don't know anything."

"The Shadow Broker is interested in your mother, Matriarch Aquilla."

"If you have question about my mother I suggest you ask her!"

"Kidnapping you is much easier than kidnapping the oldest and most respect Matriarch on Thessia. And control of the Matriarch's Ardat-Yakshi daughter is a most useful tool in the Broker's fight against her."

"You cannot control me." Felina said.

"We don't need to. All we need to do is utilize you at the opportune moment."

"Where's Corvus?"

"Marion Corvus is irrelevant. Why is Matriarch Aquilla secretly gathering turian weapons of mass destruction?"

"What?"

"Your mother, what would she be using such devices for?"

"I-I don't know! You're the information broker."

"Unfortunately the Shadow Broker has a concerning lack of information on Aquilla's actions. Your mother has an impressive skill for working in secret. However from what we can learn everything points to her amassing something of a private army. For what purpose we don't know."

"An army? What are you talking about? Perhaps you haven't realized but my mother and I are not particularly close."

Suddenly a hologram of a familiar looking asari appeared before her. "Do you recognize this woman?"

"Ereyla..."

"Ereyla?" the voice said back.

"She's my mother's assistant. What does she have to do with this?"

Then the hologram closed and Felina was left in silence. "Hello?" she called out.

Suddenly a door opened across the room from her and bathed the dark room in light. A large figure stomped into the room and the door sealed behind him.

"W-Who are you?"

Then the disembodied voice returned. "Apologies. But we must ensure that you know as little as you claim."

As the large figure stalked towards her Felina's heart began to race. "P-Please I-I don't know anything." but her pleas fell on deaf ears.

* * *

Marion paced back in forth in her cell. Her mind racing of ways to escape but mostly coming up dry. But escape didn't matter if she didn't have Felina. She hadn't seen another soul since Morat left her in here to rot and she still hadn't seen or heard from the asari since she arrived at wherever she was.

Corvus didn't try to deny it to herself that she was worried for the girl. Marion dropped to the ground and nervously ran her fingers through her now tangled hair. She cursed herself under her breath. She had gotten too comfortable on Illium, they should have kept moving and now her mistakes might have costed another person she cared for.

Then her cell door swooshed open and two large armored goons hurled Felina's limp body inside and closed the door. The asari groaned weakly as she laid face down on the steel floor. Marion rushed to her side and flipped the girl over and cradled her in her arms. "Shit! Kid, can you hear me?"

Felina's bandages were stained purple from the blood that ran down her face. "Marion." she managed to say. Her beaten face was swollen and bruised.

"I'm here." Marion pulled her closer. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

* * *

**Notes- Sorry for the delay I had some computer issues. **


End file.
